In this great game of ours we are always looking forward. The next big race, the next big clash, the next big meeting and I find the older I am getting time definitely seems to be rolling faster.

You could say the National Hunt season really kicks into gear with the Grade 1 meeting at Down Royal the start of November and from there the landmark meetings are Bar One Days at Fairyhouse, Leopardstown and Limerick Festivals at Christmas, Dublin Racing Festival in February and then the Olympics at Cheltenham followed by Grand National at Aintree.

All leading to the five-day finale at Punchestown. The months have flown by. Yet again Willie Mullins and his team at Closutton have raised the bar and going into the meeting Willie will be crowned Champion for the 17th time and has amassed almost €6 million in prize money for his owners.

These big days are to be treasured as I am sure we are witnessing a racehorse trainer whose records and achievements will be spoken off for future generations.

But in all of this we are watching brilliant horses from his stable and thankfully, the majority of them will rock up this week to excite the 100,000 expected racegoers. Irish National Hunt racing is at the top of the tree and long may it continue.

Like Willie, the people here at Punchestown led by Chairman David Mongey have raised the bar and with the meeting creating a revenue of €25 million for the local economy that is some cash injection for the surrounding parishes.

In all, 40 races with 12 Grade 1s and total prize money of €3.3 million make for a magnificent race meeting one of which Irish racing can be proud of.

Again, I am lodging with Brendan and Annmarie Sheridan over the road in Tipper South and these days I have their youngest Emily acting as chauffeur in and out of town in the evenings.

Brilliant performance

On the pitch today we see a brilliant performance by the dual Champion Chaser Energumene keeping the evergreen Chacun Pour Soi at bay by three-quarters of a length making it part of a four-timer on the card for Willie Mullins.

Jockey Tiernan Power Roche has his second Festival win and Dara McGill records his first Festival success with wins in the Ladies’ Cup and concluding Bumper and we also see maiden Grade 1 success for the Feronily team of owner Paul Byrne, trainer Emmet Mullins and jockey Donagh Meyler.

It’s also a great day for Clare man Tony Costello and his Trennahow Stables as they consigned first and second in the Goffs Defender Bumper with Predators Gold and Milo Lises.

One of the Costello dynasty and son of the legendary horse man Tom, Tony is on hand with wife Marian and son Thomas who follows in the footsteps of his dad by riding in point-to-points but he also wouldn’t be out of place lining up for the Banner County in midfield the height of him!

I have to point out a gesture made by Dr Jennifer Pugh today as she organised a minute’s silence before racing as a mark of respect for Australian jockey Dean Holland who sadly died in Australia on Monday.

Dean was 34 and leaves behind his wife Lucy and children Harley, Luca, Frankie and Lily. May he rest in peace.

We are blessed with a warm and sunny day today with perfect conditions for racegoers and photographers.

The feature race, the Ladbrokes Gold Cup has the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs, the King George winner Bravemansgame and the Ryanair winner Envoi Allen but it is a horse that finished second to Aintree National winner Corach Rambler at the Cheltenham Festival, Fastorslow, that puts them all to bed winning under J.J. Slevin for trainer Martin Brassil and owners Sean and Bernardine Mulryan of Ballymore Property fame and owners of the local Ardenode Stud, so they have plenty of supporters in the winner’s enclosure afterwards.

The other highlight is the win of A Dream To Share for owner J.P. McManus, 85 years young trainer John Kiely and 18-year-old jockey John Gleeson. Sold to J.P. by the Gleeson family ahead of its Cheltenham success, it’s great to see young John’s grandfather Liam on hand to welcome him back to the winner’s enclosure having missed out on being at Cheltenham.

Around the town this evening its busy with my favourite two watering holes Kavanaghs and McCormacks packing plenty of racing personalities.

I swap a few bottles with Padraig “Milky Bar” Roche, Dave McDonnell from Neesons Pub in Newbridge, David “Stud” Mullins, Mikey Fogarty and Bryan “Gooch” Cooper and despite the great craic and banter, I am Cinderella giving the Court Nightclub a swerve leaving it to the young fellas.

I go for a mosey around the enclosure ahead of racing and there are plenty racegoers in the shopping village where they are 25 outlets from designer jewellery, bespoke shirts, knitwear, hats and furniture, and paintings by our great pal John Fitzgerald.

Plenty of tea and coffee wagons dotted about and if you want to take time out an Americano sets you back €3.40, a Cappuccino €3.80 or a flat white €3.70.

Later in the evening, if you get peckish call to Angelos Pizza Wagon where a Margherita is €15 with a Coke €3.

Today on the track is a great day for the traditionalists with the La Touche Cup run over the Banks course over a distance of four-miles and two furlongs.

It is won by a horse they would be proud of called Vital Island having his 15th Punchestown run, third run in the La Touche and to put the cherry on the cake, he finished seond here on Tuesday in the Ladies Cup.

He also gives Wexford rider Benny Walsh a full set of wins over the banks’ races here. Willie Mullins wins another four races with Klassical Dream the highlight winning his third Stayers Hurdle in a row and El Fabiolo is awesome winning the Grade 1 Barberstown Castle Chase and is now favourite for the Champion Chase at Cheltenham next season.

We see a first UK winner of the meeting with regular visitor Anthony Honeyball training Kilbeg King to win under Corkman Aidan Coleman and we see a father and son success with dad Philip Dempsey training Broomfield Bijou with son Luke riding and just to keep it in the family, daughter Sarah is groom.

The week has flown by and we land on the fourth day.

Tomorrow will see the National Hunt Champions crowned here and we congratulate all of them. J.P. McManus with his 20th owners’ championship, Willie Mullins on his 17th trainers’ championship, while his three stable jockeys are all champions.

Son Patrick bags his 15th title, and the Townend siblings, Paul with his sixth jockeys’ title and Jody with her third ladies’ title.

Corkman Michael O’Sullivan bags the conditional title crowning a great season which netted him three Grade 1s.

The new season kicks off again on Monday in Down Royal and everyone will be back to zero. Like I always say, lads, “We are like the circus, same clowns different towns”.

Please God we will all be back safe and sound for Punchestown 2024.