CLASH OF THE TITANS AT PUNCHESTOWN
ENVOI ALLEN AND MONKFISH TO MEET IN DOOLEY INSURANCE GROUP CHAMPION NOVICE CHASE
The Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase will run at Punchestown on Tuesday, 27th of April. The €100,000 contest is set to be one of the most thrilling races of the season and has attracted a top-quality field of 12 entries including two of the most exciting chasers on the circuit, Envoi Allen and Monkfish. The race could provide some of the festival’s most memorable racing moments when this pair are expected to lock horns.
Henry de Bromhead’s, Envoi Allen lost his unbeaten record when falling at the Cheltenham Festival last time out. He is yet to race over a longer trip than 2m5f and faces a tough task to step up. Meanwhile, Willie Mullin’s Monkfish has won all four of his races over 3m but it’s going to be a hard one to call with the likes of Chatham Street Lad, Colreevy, Janidil and Latest Exhibition all in the mix.
The Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase and is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 3 miles and ½ furlong (3 miles and 120 yards, or 4,938 metres), and during its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers and has seen some past winners going on to find racing glory in both the UK and Ireland.
Tim Dooley, Managing Director of the Dooley Insurance Group said, “We began sponsoring at Punchestown in 2017 and since that time our support has grown in importance and stature and is Grade 1 status since 2019. The race has attracted some of the most incredible horses and we are particularly thrilled this year with the quality of the entries. Sponsorship at Punchestown allows our brand to be seen and allows us to communicate and engage with our audience through the mediums of television, radio, print and social media. This sponsorship has also allowed us to increase our digital footprint as more and more racing fans will also watch the action unfold through their smart phone or other digital devices. It completely makes sense for us to sponsor at Punchestown, we are a proud Kildare based firm working to serve both a business and private client base. Punchestown too has always been at the heart of the community here in Kildare and this sponsorship offers us the perfect platform to promote our business and our brand to our target audience.”
Established over sixty years ago the Dooley Insurance Group is now one of Ireland’s largest insurance brokers with over 8,500 clients throughout the country. Dooley Insurance Group are also an official insurance partner of Punchestown racecourse and now ‘top and tail’ the festival as the opening race on the final day also carries the Dooley Insurance Group banner.
Punchestown CEO Conor O’Neill said, “Dooley Insurance Group have been brilliant supporters of Punchestown as both sponsors and service providers. We aim to engage with dynamic, market leading businesses and always seek out local providers where we can so the Dooley Group are an ideal fit here at Punchestown. The Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase has been one of the most hotly contested races in recent times and this year’s renewal is billed as one of the highlights of the season”.
The Punchestown Festival will run from Tuesday, 27th April to Saturday 1st May. For more information on the Dooley Insurance Group please see www.dooleyinsurances.ie
For further information on the Punchestown Festival see www.punchestown.com