PUNCHESTOWN 2024 saw a handful of four-year-old hurdlers get in amongst their older rivals, typically a difficult task even at this stage of the season, and that presaged a strong crop that produced top class horses like Sir Gino, Majborough and Kargese, along with a solid second tier that included Salvator Mundi and Nurburgring.

2025 was a wipe-out for the four-year-olds against their elders, which looks about right given how they fared subsequently in open company, but this year was a strong one for the four-year-olds, even better than 2024.