Several Irish horses are being considered for upcoming races at Punchestown and Galway, following recent performances across various courses. A lightly-raced contender demonstrated winning form at Galway’s maiden hurdle 23 days ago, marking one win from three runs this season.
At Navan, a horse finished fifth in a novice chase over a 24-furlong heavy course 28 days ago, and will now race with blinkers for the first time. Another, a useful hurdler, secured third place in a novice chase at Punchestown (23.9f, good to soft) 45 days ago. A promising sort, with five wins from 16 National Hunt runs, recently achieved a good third in a novice chase at the same course (20f, heavy) 23 days ago, and was selected by Paul Townend from a field of three Willie Mullins-trained runners.
Other horses experienced less successful outings. One pulled up in a novice chase at Punchestown 34 days ago, tailing off five furlongs out. Another finished fifth in a novice chase at Wexford (19.6f, good to soft) on its debut over fences, while sporting a tongue strap. A horse finished sixth of seven in a novice chase at Navan (24f, heavy) 28 days ago. Further back, a once-raced maiden finished eighth of ten in a novice chase at Thurles (18f, heavy) on its National Hunt debut nine days ago.
Punchestown is emerging as a potential target for Affordale Fury, according to Racing TV. The Irish horse racing fixture schedule for 2026, as listed by geegeez.co.uk, indicates ongoing racing events throughout the year.
