2026 Punchestown Festival: Betway ambassador Paul Townend previews day three rides

It’s day three of the 2026 Punchestown Festival, and Betway ambassador Paul Townend previews his four rides at the prestigious event.

In an exclusive interview with Betway, Townend gave his insight and expectations ahead of another wonderful day of horse racing.

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14:30 – Novice Hurdle

Four good rides for me on Day three of the Punchestown Festival, undoubtedly headlined by Kopek Des Bordes in the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase. 

It wasn’t our day in the Arkle at Cheltenham last time, but we’ll all be hoping he can bounce back here and put that disappointment behind him.

We start off, though, with Leader d’Allier in the Novice Hurdle (14:30), and these are certainly calmer waters than he’d have encountered at Cheltenham, where I fancied him to run a big race if he’d have lined up. 

I thought he’d go close at Fairyhouse the last day, too, but he just raced too freely there, and he disappointed me a bit, to be honest.

I’m willing to forgive him that one bad run, because I still think he’s a horse with plenty of ability, but he’ll have to settle much better if he’s going to return to winning ways. 

His win over this course & distance in January is probably one of the standout pieces of form in the race, so if he can return to that level, he’d clearly have a big chance.

I’d have a lot of respect for Gameball, arriving here fresh after a bit of a break, and Noel Meade has his string in good order, so Colcannon might not be far away, but I’d be very disappointed if Leader D’Allier couldn’t go close in this race.

15:05 – Mares Novice

Future Prospect comes back in trip in the Mares Novice (15:05), and I think that will help her, for all that Dan (King) did a good job at getting her settled at Fairyhouse over the longer trip. 

She certainly didn’t settle at Cheltenham the time before, but I’d say she learnt plenty from that experience, and there are certainly signs she is learning and progressing with each run.

She’s a mare that we probably won’t see the best of until she goes over fences, because that should just steady her up, so I presume that will be the plan for her next year. 

She’s a mare I thought a lot of when she won her maiden at Naas back in January, so hopefully she can fulfill her potential in time.

Patrick rides Diamond Du Berlais here, and although there was plenty between them at Cheltenham, I don’t think there’ll be as much between them in this race, as long as Future Prospect does things right.

17:25 – Novice Chase

Kopek Des Bordes is undoubtedly one of my biggest rides of the week in the Novice Chase (17:25), and I’m so excited to be back on him. 

No Kargese here will make the job a bit easier, but Irish Panther ran a cracker up until the second last in the Champion Chase, though, and no doubt he’ll have learnt plenty from that experience, especially going that gallop.

I’ve made no secrets of the regard I hold Kopek Des Bordes in, though, and he’d have won without that mistake at Cheltenham, so I’ll be hoping there’ll be no similar mishaps here. 

His season hasn’t been straightforward, but as a result of that, he arrives here a fairly fresh horse, and he might even step forward with that Cheltenham run under his belt.

I was expecting better from Salvator Mundi at Aintree, but in truth, his jumping just didn’t stand up to the test over that trip. 

The mistakes he made throughout the race just told at the business end, and he’ll have to get into a much better rhythm here.

I really liked what Kopek did in the Arkle after the first couple of fences, because it was hair-raising stuff early on, but if he jumps and travels as he did in the middle part of that race, he’ll take all the beating here.

18:05 – Chamoion Stayers Hurdle

I haven’t ridden Jimmy Du Seuil an awful lot, but I’m looking forward to being back on him in the Champion Stayers Hurdle. 

He reverts to hurdling following a spell chasing, and I think he’s a horse that could be difficult to place next season over fences, so we’re just hoping this division opens up a few more doors for him.

He was a good hurdler last season, as he showed when winning the old Coral Cup at Cheltenham, so there are definitely reasons to be positive about his chances, but we are, I suppose, very much dipping our toe in the water here.

It’s a tough division, though, and you’ve got seasoned campaigners like Teahupoo and Bob Ollinger who have been there and done it time and time again. 

I suppose Kawaboomga is the real interesting one, because I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet by any stretch of the imagination. 

He’s a horse I’ve always loved at home, and he’s not the finished article yet, but some of his form reads so well, even in a race like this.

Plenty of horses return to this division from chasing and just find their niche in this sphere, so we’ll be hoping that’s the case for Jimmy, and if he does take to it, then he’s definitely capable of running a big race.

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