PUNCHESTOWN saw the curtain fall on the 2025-26 National Hunt season, and produced its usual mix of highlights, disappointments for some, and the emergence of new talent to look forward to next season. This week I will take a quick spin through the 23 winners over the final three days of the Festival.

One of the hurdle highlights was the rise of Saratoga (Camelot) from landing his first win over hurdles in the Grade 3 Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham to capturing the Grade 1 Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle. Bred by Paul Shanahan and Timmy Hyde, he is a half-brother to Capri (Galileo) and another Fred Winter winner, Brazil (Galileo).

Another son of Camelot (Montjeu) to win over hurdles was Beauvallon, who has transformed since moving from France. Bred by Clare Castle Stud, he might have felt more at home in Newmarket, given that he is a half-brother to the Group 1 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner Poetic Flare (Dawn Approach).

Last week I referenced the successes on the opening two days for Galiway (Galileo), and his big winner of the week was King Rasko Grey. He added the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle to his win in the Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Bred in France by MM Stud, he was a €18,000 Osarus yearling and a €250,000 Goffs Arkle Sale store. He is a third Grade 1 hurdle winner for his sire, joining Vauban and Gala Marceau.

Hello Neighbour

Fifteen months after he won a Grade 1 juvenile hurdle at Leopardstown, the John Yarr-bred Hello Neighbour (Harzand) was back in the winners’ enclosure with a listed hurdle success. Bought as a foal for €57,000 by Timmy Hillman, he is a half-brother to A Wave Of The Sea (Born To Sea), also a Grade 1 juvenile hurdle winner.

The name Mullins dominated Punchestown, and hidden among the list of successful breeders was that of Sandra Mullins, one half of the team that bred the hurdle winner Avalo (Sageburg). She did so with her husband Peter McCarthy. The gelding’s sire stood for five seasons at Garryrichard House, Denis Hickey’s stud in Foulksmills, Co Wexford.

SALVATOR Mundi (No Risk At All) beat Romeo Coolio to win a Grade 1 novice hurdle at Aintree last year, and then finished second at Punchestown. He reversed the order this year, chasing Mirabad home at Aintree before winning the Grade 1 Barberstown Castle Novice Chase. The six-year-old was bred by Laura Lemiere and sold at two to NBB Racing for €70,000.

The unraced dam of Salvator Mundi was Stacicaya (Saint Des Saints), and he was the last of her three foals. The other two, both fillies, are at stud. Stacicaya is a half-sister to the Grade 1 Aintree juvenile hurdle-winning mare L’Unique (Reefscape).

Bred, owned and trained by Eddie Cawley, Come Walk With Me (Walk In The Park) was knocking at the door on a number of occasions, but failed to win any of his first nine starts. He has now won his last two, a listed chase at Fairyhouse and another listed chase at Punchestown.

Come Walk With Me is the first winner for his dam, and there is a six-year gap to the next foal for the unraced Credit Present (Presenting), a yearling colt by Poet’s Word (Poet’s Voice). The dual Festival winner’s third dam bred the Grade 1 Champion Chase winner Voy Por Ustedes (Villez).

Chasing career

Barry Lyndon (Imperial Monarch) started his chasing career with a win at Fairyhouse in October, and did it again on his fifth run over fences in the Listed Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase. He was bred by Deirdre Connolly, best known in racing circles for breeding the Irish Grand National winner 12 years ago, Shutthefrontdoor. Barry Lyndon is just the sixth blacktype winner by the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris winner Imperial Monarch (Galileo). This is the family of dual Cheltenham Cathcart Chase winner Stormyfairweather (Strong Gale).

Jean-Etienne Rime bred the listed novice handicap chase winner Funiculi Funicula, and the gelding is the second blacktype winner sired by Group 2 winner and Group 1 Irish Derby second Storm The Stars (Sea The Stars), now standing at Coolagown Stud after five seasons in France. The other is this year’s Grade 3 Red Mills Hurdle winner Storm Heart, also trained by Willie Mullins.

Funiculi Funicula’s dam Fun Run (Namid) won over jumps in France, and her half-sister High Destiny (High Yield) bred the Grade 1 juvenile hurdle winner Quel Destin (Muhtathir).

The final chase winner to look at here is Uncle Pat, the eight-year-old continuing the remarkable run of success for Kedrah House Stud’s Well Chosen (Sadler’s Wells). Bred by Martin Kenirons, Uncle Pat was snapped up for only €27,000 at the Derby Sale by Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins as a three-year-old, and they had his full-brother, Adamantly Chosen at home. He won the Goffs Land Rover Bumper.

ROGER Brookhouse had two Punchestown winners, Nouvotic in a €100,000 handicap chase and Crystasia in a bumper, both trained by Henry de Bromhead. Punchestown is his favourite meeting of the year, and no wonder as he enjoyed previous success with Lets Go Champ, Chartreux and The Liquidator.

Nouvotic was mentioned last week. The five-year-old Crystasia is from the first crop by Crystal Ocean (Sea The Stars), and has an interesting story. Brookhouse bought his dam Centasia (Presenting) for £155,000 after she won a Wincanton bumper, and won four more races with her, missing out on blacktype by a neck. Centasia was sold for £15,000 to Bryan and Sandra Mayoh (breeders of Sizing John) when her racing days were over.

Centasia’s first two foals to race were of little account, but Ben and Roger Brookhouse liked her third, paying £31,000 for Crystasia as a yearling at the Goffs January Sale in Doncaster. Sandra Mayoh bred the gelding with Michael Holford. Word is that Brookhouse turned down huge sums for Crystasia after last week’s win.

Racing over the banks is one of the features of Punchestown. The Mongey-sponsored La Touche was won for the 15th time by End Bolger, this time with nine-year-old Busselton, and already the Limerick handler is eyeing the race in 2027. The son of Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer) was bred by Aleyrion Bloodstock and previously won the Kerry National.

Unique winner

The Gerald Travers-bred Fountain House (Lucky Speed) was unique among all the horses racing at Punchestown, winning on the first and last days of the meeting. He sold twice at Tattersalls Ireland, for €5,000 as a foal to Bobby Guiry and €13,000 as a store to Brian McCarthy. Completing the McCarthy picture, he is owned by Nicola and trained by Ian.

Last year’s Cheltenham hero Wonderwall (Yeats), bred by Barbara Kirby, won two Dromahane point-to-points since, and was back in the number one spot at Punchestown after the Champion Hunters Chase. What a bargain buy he was by Sam Curling in the summer of 2024, costing £33,000. He had previously sold as a store at Goffs for €105,000.

Wonderwall is the best of four racecourse winners for the twice-raced Rock Me Gently (Sulamani), purchased for €30,000 as a young broodmare by Kirby. Her half-brother Riverside Theatre (King’s Theatre) was by then a three-time Grade 1 winner, in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham and two editions of the Betfair Ascot Chase.

Ken Bolger bred the Bishopscourt Cup winner Jetbob (Jet Away), whose only previous victory was 13 months earlier in a Monksgrange maiden point-to-point as a six-year-old. He is a full-brother to a winner, and their dam Alstroemeria (Bob Back) raced three times in bumpers. Her best effort was at Wexford, beaten a neck into fourth, but 22 lengths off the winner, one Annie Power.