All roads lead to Punchestown for grand finale of the jump season

Alison Healy in Punchestown

Crowds are beginning to stream into Punchestown racecourse for the opening day of the five-day racing festival.

Organisers are expecting that 102,000 people will pass through the turnstiles this year at the Co Kildare event, which is seen as the grand finale of the jump season.

The omens are good, as there has been a 51 per cent increase in pre-sales of tickets compared with last year. The fine weather might also encourage people to take a half-day off work and arrive in time for the first race, which gets under way at 3.40pm.

Today is Boylesports Champion Chase Day and Irish hopes Hidden Cyclone and Sizing Europe will be taking on the British challenge which is being led by Module and Somersby.

Tomorrow is Gold Cup day while Friday will see a parade of stiletto-clad women in honour of Ladies Day and the first Land Rover Style Award.

The festival provides a boom for local businesses with organisers estimating it has a direct economic value of some €60 million.