Extra security in place at Punchestown to counter threat of animal rights disruption

The threat of disruption by animal rights activists has forced Punchestown’s authorities into hiring extra security for this week’s festival.

Although Irish racing officials are privately convinced a repeat of the scenes at last week’s Aintree Grand National is highly unlikely here, steps have been taken to beef up security at the Co. Kildare track.

Punchestown’s chief executive Conor O’Neill was reluctant to go into specifics on Monday but confirmed that measures have been taken to ensure racing isn’t interrupted by protesters.

“Obviously in light of the protests that have taken place in the UK, we’re putting precautions in place in the event of a similar scenario at Punchestown.

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“We don’t envisage it. But obviously we will take every precaution possible to ensure that should an issue arise we will deal with it and, most importantly, it won’t impact racing or the welfare of the horses,” he said.

“It obviously has incurred a significant additional expense. However, the welfare of horses in Punchestown is paramount and that takes precedence over everything else,” O’Neill added.

Protests by the Animal Rising group in Britain caused the delay of the Aintree Grand National earlier this month and resulted in 118 arrests by police in Liverpool.

At the weekend, 25 protesters from the same group tried to disrupt the Scottish Grand National at Ayr but were swiftly ejected from the track.

In the aftermath of Aintree Animal Rising said such a demonstration was “just the beginning” of their protests against horse racing.

Within racing here, it is widely felt the prospect of such action spreading across the Irish Sea is unlikely.

[ ‘Some wanted to touch the grass for luck’: Walking Sunday returns to Punchestown ahead of festival ]

However, Punchestown is a 450-acre site with a two-mile circumference around the steeplechase course which makes it vulnerable to anyone determined to access it.

Track officials anticipate crowds of up to 110,000 over the five days this week including over 17,000 hospitality patrons from the corporate sector.

Last year an official attendance of 115,729 was returned for the five days, down from 2019′s 126,810.

“The festival is a combination of so many moving parts. It is a showcase of Irish sporting excellence, one of the largest corporate events in the country, a huge social occasion, an essential fundraiser and a gathering of 110,000 people of all ages, urban and rural, who will share in a memorable experience,” Conor O’Neill said.

Champion jockey Paul Townend needs four more winners this week to reach a century for the season and could reach the mark straight away on Tuesday.

Energumene and Facile Vega are odds-on both their Grade 1 assignments while Night And Day is among the market leaders for the opening mares novice hurdle.

[ Energumene headlines day one at Punchestown ]

Townend, who will be crowned champion jockey for a seventh time on Saturday, also teams up with Appreciate It from the Willie Mullins quartet for the Grade 1 Dooley Novice Chase.

Mullins also has four hopefuls for the first handicap hurdle of the week and Tekao could bounce back under Simon Torrens from a luckless run at Cheltenham.