ALBERT Bartlett, Britain’s leading producer of potato products, will sponsor the newly branded Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series at Punchestown in a significant three-year deal that will see the series final prize fund grow to €100,000.

Run last year as the ‘Full Circle’ series, it will expand from 10 to 12 qualifying races this season, divided between England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

The first qualifier will take place on Saturday, November 23rd at Punchestown’s Premiere Weekend fixture and culminate on the opening day of the 2025 Punchestown Festival, Tuesday, April 29th, with the €100,000 Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final.

Launched in October 2023, the initial concept for the series was to provide an opportunity for horses in the competitive two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle category, with ratings of up to 120, to compete for an impressive prize on a feature festival day.

The 2024 ‘final’ was won by the Tom Lacey-trained Tune In A Box.

Albert Bartlett chairman, Ronnie Bartlett said: “We hope partnering with Punchestown to create the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series will enhance the series further to encourage travel, cohesion and alignment throughout jump racing in Britain and Ireland, with the exciting involvement of British-trained and owned horses competing at Punchestown.

“The series allows owners and trainers to visit new tracks, cross the Irish sea, meet with new peers, all built around enjoying flagship race days and competing for meaningful prize money. Ultimately, we hope this will create more really entertaining days for race fans to enjoy and that’s what it is all about.”

Punchestown CEO Conor O’Neill said: “Together we aim to create an inclusive prospect for horses at a particular level to compete for a significant prize pot on the big stage, whilst providing an excellent opportunity to open up the sport even further by encouraging owners and trainers to travel and compete across what is a relatively small jurisdiction.

“To this end, we couldn’t have hoped for a better result of the inaugural running, when Herefordshire trainer Tom Lacey won the final with Tune In A Box, owned by the Woolhope Hopeful Syndicate.”

Rachel Tobey, member of 2024 series final-winning owners Woolhope Hopefuls, said: “We had the most wonderful and memorable experience at Punchestown. The welcome was exceptional. To win was beyond our dreams!

“We think that what is now the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series initiative is absolutely brilliant. Without it, we would probably have never had a runner at Punchestown and now we are fully focused on returning again.”

Albert Bartlett Triple Crown

Series Qualifiers

1. November 23rd: Punchestown

2. January 5th: Chepstow

3. January 12th: Punchestown

4. January 23rd: Huntingdon

5. January 26th: Naas

6. February 14th: Kelso

7. February 15th: Gowran Park

8. February 26th: Wincanton

9. March 7th: Ayr

10. March 17th: Down Royal

11. March 20th: Cork

12. March 28th: Wetherby

13: April 29th: Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final, Punchestown Festival