SMALLER owners and trainers are expected to be given the chance to tackle a valuable pot at the 2024 Punchestown Festival through the newly-unveiled Full Circle Series, which got underway at the Co Kildare venue this week.

Aimed at two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdlers rated around the 130 mark, the series consists of 10 qualifiers – five in the UK and five in Ireland. The first took place on Tuesday at Punchestown when the Eddie Cawley-trained Petit King won a €15,000 handicap hurdle where the top-weight was rated 116.

Finishing in the first six in a qualifier will see a horse qualify for the series final at the Punchestown Festival, a two-and-a-half-mile handicap worth between €80,000 and €100,000 where a horse rated 130 would carry 11st 12lb.

Punchestown racing manager Richie Galway said: “There are two main objectives for this new series. Firstly, we acknowledge just how high the standard of racing is in Ireland at the moment. Hopefully this series will give the smaller trainer and owners an opportunity to compete for a huge pot on a feature day on the calendar.

“The second reason is to reinvigorate the essential involvement of UK-trained and UK-owned horses at Punchestown. We have been fortunate enough through the years to have amazing support from throughout the UK so we have qualifiers across all regions. This is an extraordinary opportunity for horses at a certain level”.

Each qualifier will be a hurdle race over a distance of between two miles and two furlongs and two miles six furlongs for horses within the 0-130 rating band.

December 12th Punchestown

January (TBC) Huntingdon

January 28th Naas

February 16th Kelso

February 17th Gowran Park

February 28th Wincanton

March 17th Down Royal

March 21st Cork and Ludlow

March 28th Wetherby