Up to 130,000 racegoers are expected to descend on Naas this week for the five-day Punchsestown Festival, the highlight of the jumps season.
Thousands of these punters will jet in the from the UK or travel down from the North, many of them using the services of Race And Stay,
Established in 2012 by Martyn Pipe, Race and Stay is now the largest horse racing tour company in Ireland.
Since its inception, the company says that it has handled 36,000 racing breaks.
The company is the official guest partner for Punchestown and many other Irish racecourses, and offers guests a complete solution for horse racing breaks, including hotel accommodation, tickets, and transport transfers.
In Association with
According to Pipe: “The UK is our biggest market, and we will bring over 3,000 UK visitors to Irish hotels and racecourses this year. The demand is very high for horse racing experiences in Ireland, and bookings are very strong for all big race meetings throughout the summer and into early autumn.
“This year we will fill over 1,000 room nights for the Punchestown Festival, and we have well over 4,000 room nights booked in total for the season.”
Race And Stay is title sponsor of the Grade One Race and Stay at Punchestown Champion Bumper on Wednesday April 27, which goes to post at 6.30pm and has a race prize fund of €100,000..
The Punchestown Festival is Ireland’s premier social and racing festival where some of Ireland and the UK’s equine superstars battle it out for a share of the €3.2 million prize fund," said Pipe.
"It’s more than just a racing festival, it provides a massive boost to the local economy and is a big social occasion for many people. We are totally sold out for 2022 and we are now offering great value racing breaks for the 200th Punchestown Festival in 2023."
Conor O’Neill, Punchestown CEO, commented; “People make Punchestown. We say it time and time again. "Our main aim is to make the Punchestown visitor experience as enjoyable and hassle free as possible. We welcome a huge number of guests from all over Ireland and the UK and beyond.
"To team up with Race and Stay means that we can now provide an all-inclusive package solution for our customers so they can book, race, stay and return to Punchestown year after year.”
Along with race day activities, Race and Stay have teamed up with a number of golf and spa resorts to offer guests alternative experiences on non-racing days.
Punchestown Festival runs from Tuesday April 26 to Saturday, April 30, with 12 Grade One races across the five days.
