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).