Punchestown Gold Cup

Grade 1 race
Punchestown Gold Cup
Location Punchestown
Co. Kildare, Ireland
Race type Chase
Sponsor Guinness
Website Punchestown
Race information
Distance 3m 1f (5,029 metres)
Track Turf, right-handed
Qualification Five-years-old and up
Weight 11 st 1 lb (5yo);
11 st 10 lb (6yo+)
Allowances
5 lb for mares
Purse €225,000 (2010)
1st: €135,000

The Punchestown Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong (5,029 metres), and during its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April or early May.

The present version of the race was introduced in 1999, when it replaced a previous version for novice chasers only. It was formerly sponsored by Heineken, and it used to be known as the Heineken Gold Cup. It has been backed by Diageo since 2005, and its sponsored title now promotes Guinness.

The Punchestown Gold Cup usually features horses which ran previously in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The last to win both races in the same year was War of Attrition in 2006.

Contents

Records

Most successful horse (2 wins):

Leading jockey since 1999 (4 wins):

Leading trainer since 1999 (2 wins):

Winners since 1999

Year
 Winner
 Age
 Jockey
 Trainer
1999 Imperial Call 10 Ruby Walsh Raymond Hurley
2000 Commanche Court 7 Ruby Walsh Ted Walsh
2001 Moscow Express [1] 9 Barry Geraghty Frances Crowley
2002 Florida Pearl 10 Barry Geraghty Willie Mullins
2003 First Gold 10 Thierry Doumen François Doumen
2004 Beef or Salmon 8 Timmy Murphy Michael Hourigan
2005 Kicking King 7 Barry Geraghty Tom Taaffe
2006 War Of Attrition 7 Conor O'Dwyer Mouse Morris
2007 Neptune Collonges 6 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls
2008 Neptune Collonges 7 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls
2009 Notre Pere 8 Andrew Lynch Jim Dreaper
2010 Planet of Sound 8 Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs
2011 Follow the Plan 8 Tom Doyle Oliver McKiernan

1 The 2001 running took place at Fairyhouse.

Earlier winners

  • 1960 – Oberstown
  • 1961 – Jungle Cry
  • 1962 – Coniston
  • 1963 – Arkle
  • 1964 – Fort Leney
  • 1965 – Clusium
  • 1966 – Crown Prince
  • 1967 – White Abbess
  • 1968 – Herring Gull
  • 1969 – Kings Sprite
  • 1970 – Glencaraig Lady
  • 1971 – Dim Wit
  • 1972 – Ebony Lad
  • 1973 – Tartan Ace
  • 1974 – Lough Inagh
  • 1975 – Fort Fox
  • 1976 – No Hill
  • 1977 – Artistic Prince
  • 1978 – Jack of Trumps
  • 1979 – Jack's the Buoy
  • 1980 – Pillar Brae
  • 1981 – Owens Image
  • 1982 – Single-U-Jay
  • 1983 – Whistling Senator
  • 1984 – By the Way
  • 1985 – Cerimau
  • 1986 – Over the Last
  • 1987 – Darkorjon
  • 1988 – Vulgan's Pass
  • 1989 – Carvill's Hill
  • 1990 – Mixed Blends
  • 1991 – Local Whisper
  • 1992 – Second Schedual
  • 1993 – Fissure Seal
  • 1994 – Merry Gale
  • 1995 – Butches Boy
  • 1996 – Billygoat Gruff
  • 1997 – Noyan
  • 1998 – Mahler


See also

References