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Punchestown Festival 2026 Day 1 Tips - Best Bets & Predictions for Tuesday

jon-vine
Jon Vine
Editor
Last updated: Mon 27 Apr 2026 14:46
The 2026 Punchestown Festival kicks off with a thrilling lineup, including the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final Handicap Hurdle, the Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle, and more. Key betting tips suggest Judicial Deference is a strong contender in the 3:00 pm hurdle, while Jet To Monte Carlo offers value in the 3:40 pm event. Sober appears promising in the Novice Hurdle, enhancing Willie Mullins' chances of edging out Gordon Elliott in the trainer's championship. Don't miss the feature race, the William Hill Champion Chase, for which further insights and viewing options are available online.
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Jon Vine 27 Apr 2026
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  • Free tips for day one of the 2026 Punchestown Festival
  • Three Grade One will be run on Tuesday
  • Jet To Monte Carlo and Sober feature in our selections
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punchestown hurdle
Punchestown racecourse. (Getty)

Free tips for day one of the 2026 Punchestown Festival, which begins on Tuesday 28th April.

The Punchestown Festival opens with an excellent card on Tuesday, including the Punchestown Champion Chase. Here are my best betting tips for day one of the 2026 Punchestown Festival.

Punchestown Festival Day 1 Card


Time Title
2:30pm Kildare Hunt Club Cross Country Chase for the Ladies Perpetual Cup (Class 2) 3m½f
3:05pm Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final Handicap Hurdle (Class 2) 2m3½f
3:40pm Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle (Listed Race) 2m½f
4:15pm PRL Champion Novice Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m½f
4:50pm Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase (Grade 1) 3m1f
5:25pm Goffs Defender Bumper (Class 2) 2m½f
6:05pm William Hill Champion Chase (Grade 1) 2m½f
6:35pm Willie Coonan Memorial INH Flat Race (Class 2) 2m½f

Punchestown Festival Day 1 Tips


3:00pm Punchestown - Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final Handicap Hurdle Tips


British horses have a strong record in handicaps at the Punchestown Festival, and plenty of raiders feature in this handicap hurdle. I quite like the chances of JUDICIAL DEFERENCE (16/1) for Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero.

Judicial Deference hasn't done much wrong since going over hurdles, winning a maiden at Musselburgh and his first two starts in handicaps. Craig Nichol's mount won nicely at Haydock in January, before following up with another comfortable success at Kelso.

Greenall and Guerriero's seven-year-old was brought down when still travelling well on his most recent start, and travels over to Punchestown fresh. Toby McCain-Mitchell is one of the best three-pound claimers around, and this will be his only ride on Tuesday's card.

3:40pm Punchestown - Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle Tips


A resounding success at Fairyhouse over Easter has ensured that JET TO MONTE CARLO (8/1) will sneak into this valuable handicap hurdle right at the bottom of the weights.

Emmet Mullins' novice went into Fairyhouse having run in a bumper and three maiden hurdles, finishing second at Thurles in February. Jet To Monte Carlo travelled nicely throughout his handicap debut, tracking the front-running Kentucky Beach throughout before forging five lengths clear on the run to the line.

Mullins' five-year-old seemed to have plenty left up his sleeve that day. With Donagh Meyler unable to do 10-00, the excellent Conor Stone-Walsh has picked up the plum ride on this promising novice hurdler.

4:15pm Punchestown - Champion Novice Hurdle Tips


Gordon Elliott's slim hopes of holding Willie Mullins at bay in the title race could hinge on this Grade One, where he runs El Cairos, Skylight Hustle and Koktail Brut. Mullins, meanwhile, is represented by SOBER (6/1) - winner of the Moscow Flyer over this course and distance earlier in the season.

Paul Townend's mount won his sole start over hurdles prior to that Grade Two success. Sober was highly rated on the flat in France, and ran out an impressive winner of the 2m5f Queen Alexandra Stakes under Ryan Moore at Royal Ascot in between those hurdles successes.

Considering how well Sober stayed on the flat, I wasn't surprised to see Mullins step his star up to two-and-a-half miles at the Cheltenham Festival. Patrick Mullins' mount was backed into 17/2 ahead of the Turners' Novices' Hurdle, but was far too keen after the flag start and his jumping fell apart as a result.

Plenty of beaten horses from the Turners have come out and won since Cheltenham, and Sober is certainly classy enough to land what looks to be a fairly weak Grade One. 6/1 is too nice a price to turn down.

6:05pm Punchestown - William Hill Champion Chase Tips


Read our free guide to the 2026 Punchestown Champion Chase to find out who we've backed in Tuesday's feature.

Visit our Punchestown Champion Chase Live Stream page if you want to watch any of Tuesday's races from Punchestown via a mobile or tablet.

Verdict

Punchestown Festival 2026 Day 1 Tips:

Best Bet1: Sober 4:15pm Punchestown @6/1 at BOYLE Sports - 5 Units
Best Bet2: Jet To Monte Carlo 3:40pm Punchestown @8/1 at Hollywoodbets - 5 Units
Best Bet3: Judicial Deference E/W 3:00pm Punchestown @16/1 at bet365 - 5 Units
Sober
4:15pm Punchestown
@6/1 - 5 Units
Bet £10 Get £30
in free bets

18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. T&Cs Apply 18+. IRE/NI & UK online only. Max Free Bet £/€10. Win or win part of e/w outright singles. 5+ runners. 1st bet on each race. Free/void/antepost bets don't qualify. In event of a dead heat, offer won’t apply. Applies to First Past the Post result. Unnamed 2nd Favs don’t qualify. Acc & Payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.

Bet at BOYLE Sports
Jet To Monte Carlo
3:40pm Punchestown
@8/1 - 5 Units
£30 Free Bet
Use promo code NEWBONUS

Claim £30 free bet & 20 Free Spins. Use the promo code NEWBONUS. New Hollywoodbets account holders. 18 years or older. United Kingdom residents only. T&Cs apply.

Bet at Hollywoodbets
Judicial Deference E/W
3:00pm Punchestown
@16/1 - 5 Units
Bet £10 Get £30
with bonus code NEWBONUS

Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30 in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply. The bonus code NEWBONUS can be used during registration but does not change the offer amount in any way. #ad

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Punchestown Festival 2026 Day 1

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