OUR congratulations go to all 25 ‘mad hatters’ who took part in last Saturday’s Punchestown Kidney Research Fund Charity Race.

This was the 29th edition of the event, founded by local butcher and kidney transplant recipient James Nolan.

Top show jumper Bertram Allen was widely tipped to win the race aboard Gordon Elliott’s Flaxen Flare but, as is often the case, the race produced a shock winner. First past the post was 50/1 shot Archibald Thorburn, trained locally by Aidan Howard and ridden by veterinary nurse Karen Moore.

Stephen Thorne finished second on Aussie Valentine and David O’Neill flew home to finish third on Wee Small Hours.

James Nolan reported: “Hopefully in excess of €65,000 will have been raised on the day.” He added that the PKRF supported the renal ward in Temple Street Children’s Hospital which opened last December and the fund hoped to support a self-care haemodialysis unit in Tallaght Hospital which is due to open in October.