The Punchestown Festival is Ireland's end of season farewell to the jumps, five days of stellar National Hunt racing from the Co Kildare venue with over €3.5m in prize money to be won.

Peerless Punchestown, as it is often dubbed, is the culmination of the campaign in Ireland and we've picked out a trio of horses that could shine at the festival this year.

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Kargese to land Champion crown?

Willie Mullins accounts for five of the 10 possible contenders in the SBK Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle on day five at Punchestown.

Lossiemouth, Jade De Grugy, Lot Of Joy and Gala Marceau are all possible Closutton-based contenders, but preference is for Kargese.

Like Gala Marceau and Jade De Grugy, she runs in the Honeysuckle silks of owner Kenny Alexander.

She was last spotted winning the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival off a mark of 141, just her second run of the season.

She was a dual Grade 1-winning novice last term at two miles but her French form suggests that stepping up to this 2m3f trip could be a real plus for her.

Lossiemouth has had a busy spring and may get the chance to rest up — or even contest the Champion Hurdle against the boys — and Kargese could be tailor-made for this contest, which Mullins has won in nine of the last 11 renewals.

Fact To File cleared to score

Fact To File obliterated his rivals in last month's Ryanair Chase at Cheltenam, turning the 2m4½f contest into something of a procession.

He'd struggled in Grade 1 staying chases this season previously after impressing in the John Durkan over 2m3½f at this venue in November and a drop back in drip now looks likely.

The William Hill Champion Chase is the feature event on day one at Punchestown and the antepost markets have Fact To File and Marine Nationale atop the betting.

The latter could not have been more impressive in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham and would prove very difficult to beat, but owner/trainer Barry Connell has next season on his mind and could well be tempted to pull stumps for the season with an eye already on next term.

That could pave the way for the Mullins machine to grab the Champion Chase crown with Fact To File, who hasn't run over a trip as short as this since the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in 2023, but certainly moves in the manner of a horse that has the tactical speed to cope.

Elliott's Clay to claim some rewards

The Yellow Clay shed his perfect record over hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival but Gordon Elliott's inmate arguably enhanced his reputation in so doing.

He finished a half-length behind impressive Dan Skelton-trained winner The New Lion in the Turners Novices' Hurdle, with favourite Final Demand early five-lengths back in third spot.

He was moving as well as anything turning for home and led at the second last. He couldn't repel The New Lion but that rival remains unbowed in his career and, all things considered it was another promising showing from The Yellow Clay.

He has options over 2m4½f in this race and over 3m in the Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle and this race could be the one for him.