WHEN the Punchestown Festival was cancelled a few weeks back, the track’s CEO Conor O’Neill, with typical Irish humour, did tell the Kildare Nationalist that we would be at least guaranteed good weather the week that the Festival should have taken place. Lo and behold, we wake to glorious sunshine on the day that should have opened the Festival.

As always the Festival would have thrown up some great stories but the expected highlight of this year’s Festival was to see Faugheen in action. A real fans favourite, he almost brought the house down with his win at the 2018 Festival.