IRELAND’S PREMIER HORSE RACING TRAVEL COMPANY BOOKS OVER 4,000 ROOM NIGHTS IN 2022. RACE AND STAY COUNTS DOWN TO PUNCHESTOWN

press release 

RACE AND STAY COUNTS DOWN TO PUNCHESTOWN

-IRELAND’S PREMIER HORSE RACING TRAVEL COMPANY BOOKS OVER 4,000 ROOM NIGHTS IN 2022-

Martyn Pipe Race and Stay and Conor O Neill Punchestown 

 

Race and Stay, Ireland’s premier horse racing tour company recently signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with Punchestown Racecourse which will see Ireland’s premier national hunt flat race going to post under its new title, The Race and Stay at Punchestown Champion Bumper.

 

This new multi-year sponsorship deal kicks off on day two of the 2022 Punchestown Festival, Wednesday 27^th of April.  Up to 130,000 racegoers are expected to descend on the Kildare track during the festival with thousands of people expected to visit from the UK alone.

 

Established in 2012 by Martyn Pipe, Race and Stay is now the largest horse racing tour company in Ireland and since its inception, has had over 36,000 people booking racing breaks with them.  The company is the official guest partner for Punchestown and many Irish Racecourses and offers guests a complete solution for horse racing breaks including hotel accommodation, tickets, racecourse transport, airport transfers, hospitality and added value ‘money can’t buy’ added experiences such as private stable yard visits and access to leading stud farms, trainers and riders. 

Martyn Pipe, CEO of Race and Stay said, “The UK is our biggest market, and we will bring over 3,000 UK visitors to Irish hotels and racecourses this year.  The demand is very high for horse racing experiences in Ireland, and bookings are very strong for all big race meetings throughout the summer and into early autumn.  This year we will fill over 1,000 room nights for the Punchestown Festival alone and we have well over 4,000 room nights booked in total for the season making us one of the largest inbound travel operators in the country.”

 

The company prides itself on its horse racing expertise and its invaluable connections which allows guests the option to choose even more exclusive and bespoke packages. “Quite often we will have a group of guests who want to see more than what’s at the track,” said Martyn. “They might want to see how a horse is trained at home or they might want to visit a stud. It’s these experiential activations that make our packages memorable and add real value to the visit.  We see ourselves more than just a travel operator, and no matter your budget we can provide high end concierge style travel experiences and working with our hotel partners we know and trust we make racing breaks in Ireland a memorable experience”

 

Race and Stay has also partnered with a number of golf and spa resorts to offer guests alternative experiences on non-racing days, “Sometimes we might have a group that wants to extend their stay, or they might not want to go racing every day so we can offer alternative activities for them to enjoy such as golf, clay shooting, spa or shopping experiences.”

 

Speaking about the company’s sponsorship at Punchestown this year Martyn said, “The Punchestown Festival is Ireland’s premier social and racing festival where some of Ireland and the UK’s equine superstars battle it out for a share of the €3.2 million prize fund.  It’s more than just a racing festival, it provides a massive boost to the local economy and is a big social occasion for many people.  We are totally sold out for 2022 and we are now offering great value racing breaks for the 200^th Punchestown Festival in 2023. We are delighted to sponsor the Grade 1 Champion Bumper, one of the season’s most prestigious races and look forward to an exciting and memorable festival.”

 

Conor O’Neill, Punchestown CEO highlighted the benefits of the partnership and said, “People make Punchestown.  We say it time and time again.  Our main aim is to make the Punchestown visitor experience as enjoyable and hassle free as possible.  We welcome a huge number of guests from all over Ireland and the UK and beyond. To team up with Race and Stay means that we can now provide an all- inclusive package solution for our customers so they can book, race, stay and return to Punchestown year after year.”

 

The 2022 Punchestown Festival takes place from Tuesday 26^th to Saturday 30^th of April 2022. To view the Race and Stay Punchestown packages for 2023 please visit www.raceandstay.com/punchestown or call + 353 (0) 45 522795.