Big field for 35th annual Punchestown charity race in aid of Kildare-based kidney research fund

The 35th running of the annual Punchestown Charity Race in aid of the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund will take place on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at the Punchestown Festival.

22 hockeys will go to post for the curtain raiser to the Punchestown National Hunt Racing Festival.

All of these jockeys have gone to R.A.C.E., the jockeys apprentice school in order to get their licence to participate at Punchestown as well as passing a medical to ensure they are fit enough to take part in this two mile horse race.

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Former Manchester City English Premier League footballer Christopher Shuker is set to swap his football boots for riding boots and the Liverpool born footballer cannot wait for the privilege of riding in front of 30,000 at the Punchestown Festival.

Also representing the UK will be Patrick Chesters who will be making his second appearance in the race and he is the manager of Chester race course in the UK.

Adding to the international flavour will be Maxime de Chambord and Ophelie Stroumza.

Both are from France and both are on the prestigious Irish National Stud training course in County Kildare.

Mikael de Santane Andrade will represent Brazil and rides out at Oliver McKiernan’s yard.

Paul Burns and Sophie Connor are from Down and Antrim respectively and both have vast experience from working with horses and are looking forward to the Festival.

Owen Byrne and his son David will share a very unique honour as both father and son will participate in the PKRF Charity Race together which will be a very special occasion for all their families. Both are living in Wexford where they are involved in the Bree Hunt.

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'LOCALS'

Kildare will have three 'locals' taking part - Alice Murphy rides out with Ross o’ Sullivan and plays GAA for her local club Ballymore.

Anna Nangle is a 5th year student from The Curragh where she rides out with Conor O’ Dwyer and also plays for Suncroft GAA club.

Lastly, Cormac Mc Evoy is a ‘Stallion Man’ at Derrinstown Stud and was involved with the Celbridge team who won the men’s senior football championship in 2008.

The youngest rider in this year’s race is Cork’s Fionn Budds who has just turned 17 years of age and he was inspired by his sister Ella who took part last year.

The Veteran in the race is also from Cork, Ken Murphy who runs a Livery Yard and says that he just cannot wait for Punchestown. Also from Cork is Ciara O'Sullivan, who is in her final phase of training at the Garda training college.

Emma Fitzgerald and Kate O’ Leary are both from Limerick and both ride out at Enda Bolgers.

Megan Hassett will represent Tipperary where she works with her father Martin Hassett. Neil Durcan is from Wicklow and is part of the well-known Durcan racing family and will be having his second ride in the PKRF race.

Martin McCullagh is from Louth and will be riding for the Peter Cluskey yard.

From Dublin is Lydia Dodds who took part in the Corinthian Challenge last year and she rides out at the Shark Hanlon yard in Carlow.

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'LIVING PROOF'

Also from Dublin is Kidney Transplant recipient Dave Bennett. Dave is the master of the Fingal Hunt and was on Kidney Dialysis for 5 years before receiving the Gift of Life in 2022 when he received a Kidney Transplant.

Dave will be the living proof to all the Kidney Dialysis patients to never give up on your dream.

He will show case the success of Organ Donation and create much needed Organ Donor Awareness through his participation on this year’s PKRF Charity Race.

Dave is the 4th Kidney Transplant recipient to take part in the 'Kidney Race' following in the footsteps of James Nolan, Eoghan O’ Neill and Sara Jane Tracy who are living proof that you can return to a normal life after receiving a life saving Transplant.

The race was started in 1990 by successful Kidney Transplant recipient James Nolan from Kilcullen, County Kildare.

Having received the Gift of Life from his sister Catherine on July 25, 1987 James decided to raise funds for kidney related projects.

James participated in the first 13 running’s of this annual even and won the race on board 50 / 1 shot Nero’s Dancer in 2002.

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PROJECTS SUPPORTED

Over €2 million has been raised over the past 34 years and here are some of the projects that the PKRF have sponsored thanks to the generous support received from all their sponsors and supporters: during the past three years, they have managed to support the following projects: "We continue to support the IKA to run a Peer Support program for all Kidney patients in Ireland; this programme offers vital supports to patients and their families who are dealing with all the various issues and concerns that is all part of being a Kidney Dialysis or Kidney Transplant patient.

"We also sponsored a new Post Transplant Rejection Testing Kit at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin; this provides Testing Kits to detect Rejection without having to do a biopsy on a newly transplanted Kidney."

Race organiser, Kilcullen’s James Nolan, said: "So many people deserve huge thanks for making the annual Punchestown Charity Race such an unbelievable success.

"The Punchestown Kidney Research Fund enjoys the privilege of being permitted to run our Charity Race during the Irish National Hunt Racing Festival at Punchestown Racecourse."

He continued: "Great credit is due to all the Team at Punchestown Racecourse who make our race day so special, as well as all the people at IHRB, HRI and R.A.C.E. who help us to run our PKRF Charity Race correctly.

"We are very grateful to all the owners and the trainers who have given continued support to our Race, every year, for the past 34 years.

"We would like to acknowledge the various forms of media, whose coverage of our Race in whatever way, is hugely important both to our Charity and to all those people awaiting life-saving transplants as this gives hope to so many others by raising the profile of Organ Donor Awareness in Ireland."

James concluded by saying that the main message behind the Charity Race is best described in the title name of the race – "Have the conversation – Say YES to Organ Donation".

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