Stylish punters soak in the sun at penultimate day at Punchestown

Irish Daily Mirror

02-05-2025

Punchestown punters made sure to wear their Sunday best as the festival's penultimate day draws to a close.
The day may well have belonged to State Man, who had an emphatic win in the Boodles Champion Hurdle but Friday saw thousands of punters dressed up to the nines.
The sun may not have been as scorching as earlier on in the week but with temperatures hitting highs of 17 degrees, it made for comfortable weather for attendees.
But the day will be remembered for Willie Mullins' trained State Man's epic win and a victory that delighted the legendary trainer.
'It's the performance we always thought he had in him. In fairness to Constitution Hill, I don't think he turned up on the day. It's very hard to travel from England after having two falls and things just didn't go right for him.
'Our fella has run his true race and that's been a constant thing in his racing life, he always turns up and runs his race. It was a huge performance.
'He's just very genuine without ever being flashy. I think the cheekpieces have made him a bit flashier than he used to be. He's a lazy horse and cheekpieces just help him.
'Paul has been adamant about this horse for the last few years, people are going on about Lossiemouth and State Man – he's always thought State Man every day of the week and it's been proven.
'I think we were all waiting for this contest and it delivered. We're just delighted.'
Check out all the pictures below.
Mollie Croft, Melissa Croft and Zarifa Kelly 1 of 8
Hattie Hansard from London and Islay Kingham from Blessington 2 of 8
Chloe Johnstone from Laois 3 of 8
Leah Houlihan from Kildare 4 of 8