The Punchestown Festival ranks only behind the Cheltenham and Aintree equivalents in terms of importance in the world of National Hunt racing. The five-day event grows in importance each year and showcases some top class racing with millions of prize money on offer for connections and a vast array of betting opportunities open to the gambling public. The 2008 Festival runs between Tuesday April 22 and Saturday April 26. The first day features important races such as The vcbet.com Champion Novice Hurdle, the Ellier Developments Hanover Reach Champion Novice Chase and the Goffs Land Rover Bumper. The main events are the Champion Chase (22nd), the Gold Cup (23rd) and the Champion Hurdle (25th) but there are fantastic races throughout the five days with connections looking to avenge recent defeats at Cheltenham and Aintree.

In 2008, a new €200,000+ handicap hurdle will be introduced as the feature race on the Festival Saturday. Other National Hunt Grade 1 highlights include the vcbet.com Champion Novice Hurdle and the Champion Novice Chase on Tuesday, the Paddy Power Champion Flat Race on Wednesday, the Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle and the Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase on Thursday and the Land Rover Champion Novice Hurdle on Friday. Where better to choose your free bet than at freebet.co.uk. Compare and contrast the traditional bookmakers (Sky) and the the leading exchange (Betfair).