Punchestown Five Day Festival one of the highlights of the National Hunt season

The Punchestown Festival will bring the curtain down on another extraordinary National Hunt season with five days of top class action across the week beginning on Tuesday. 

A galaxy of stars will be in action including the Jimmy Mangan trained Spillane’s Tower, who missed both Cheltenham and Aintree while the pride of Britain Constitution Hill looks set to run in the Champion Hurdle which looks a mouth-watering contest. 

Before all that we have a fascinating conclusion to the British Trainers championship as the defending champion Willie Mullins tries to reel in Dan Skelton at Sandown tomorrow in what promises to be the final farewell for the National Hunt season in Ireland and Britain.

Willie Mullins is dominating jump racing right now and he looks well placed to overhaul Skelton and complete back to back victories in that championship. 

But the Punchestown Festival has become a real bonanza for the all-conquering Mullins team. 

His main rivals, Gordon Elliot, Henry De Bromhead and Gavin Cromwell generally have their horses our earlier in the Autumn and will not have the fire power to challenge next week. 

Now Cromwell has really emerged as a powerful force in Irish racing and the victory of Inothewayurthinkin in the Cheltenham Gold Cup cemented his place at the top table of Irish jump racing. 

Punchestown will attract plenty of UK runners and there are 40 races across the week including a dozen Grade 1 contests.

Constitution Hill would be a huge attraction and in fairness to Nicky Henderson he brought over Sprinter Sacre in his prime which completed a clean sweep of the three spring festivals for that brilliant chaser. 

Constitution Hill's intended Punchestown run hangs in the balance, according to trainer Nicky Henderson who said: "Constitution Hill will have one piece of work. 

"His one piece of work will determine whether we do or we don't go. It's very simple. If he's 100 per cent, he'll go, but if he's 98 per cent, he won't. 

"That gallop is going to be crucial and everything hinges on that. He's been cantering since, but we'll see."

There was terrific jump racing across the weekend with some memorable results at Cork racecourse over the weekend. 

Following the tragic passing of Michael O’Sullivan his local track ran the feature race in his memory while his brother Alan continued his rich vein of form when landing the Jack Tyner Memorial on Easter Monday. 

Lisleigh Lad stayed on strongly for another impressive winner for Alan who said: “Unfortunately, we found ourselves in the same situation as the Tyners and now have a bond that we hoped we never would have. 

"The Tyners have been unreal to us over the last couple of months.

 “Jack unfortunately had an accident point to pointing in Dungarvan and while I never knew him, obviously the same has now happened to us. 

"We know what they went through and they know what we’re going through: it means a lot to win for them.

” It’s a local crowd today, we’ve a lot of family here and the racing community are something else. 

"I’ve had someone looking down on me because the last few weeks I’ve been very lucky and riding for great people.” 

 It really has been a real roller coaster for the O’Sullivan family and Maxine was also among the winners at mallow and Fairyhouse in recent days. Read To Return under Maxine was an impressive winner of the Ladies National for trainer Tony Martin who said: "Maxine has been with me for years and is a great rider. 

"She gave it a great ride and that was it. He crept away and leaped well bar the third last. I thought we were getting into it nicely and lucky enough we got away with it. 

"It worked out well in the end. He's had a few little issues and, on his day when things go right for him, he's not too bad. 

"He's just never got the hop of the ball in a few races.” 

Finally, it was fantastic to see the evergreen Lord Erskine land another big pot at Fairyhouse midweek. 

Running in the Cork colours of the late Jerry Nolan from Fair Hill, the 12-year-old has been an amazing servant for connections and delivered in great style for Darragh O’Keeffe. 

Without a win since his shock 40/1 triumph at last year's Dublin Racing Festival, the Harry Rogers trained bay was sent off a 22/1 chance.  

Rogers said: "He's a great horse to have. He's like his owner the late Jerry Nolan who was a pure gent. He died a month after Mary (Rogers, wife). I rode winners for him. I didn't believe he would ever win another race. 

"What a horse.”