Day one of the 2025 Punchestown Festival has arrived as the final knockings of the National Hunt season take place with five star-studded days at Ireland’s home of jumps racing. As always, there are some tasty Punchestown betting offers and free bets to go hand-in-hand with the top quality racing, so let’s highlight the best promos for you to make the most of.
| Online Betting Sites | Punchestown Festival Betting Offers |
| Spreadex | Bet £10 and get £60 in free bets |
| bet365 | Bet £10 and get £30 in free bets |
| Paddy Power | Bet £5 and get £30 in free bets |
| Sky Bet | Bet 5p and get £40 in free bets |
| BetMGM | Bet £10 and get £40 in free bets |
| Betfred | Bet £10 and get £50 in free bets |
Punchestown Festival betting offers – Key T&Cs
- Spreadex: Spread betting losses can exceed deposit. Place a qualifying £10 fixed odds bet at odds of 1/2 or greater and get 3x £10 free fixed odds bets in consecutive days and 6x £5 free spread bets across consecutive days. Qualifying bet cannot be placed in-play or cashed out early. Free bets expire in 28 days if unused. T&Cs apply. 18+. GambleAware.org
- bet365: 18+. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required.
- Paddy Power: New Customer offer – Use promo code YSKAST. Place a min £5 bet on the sportsbook at odds of min EVS (2.0) and get £30 in free bets. Free bet rewards valid for 30 days. Only deposits via Debit Cards & Apple Pay will qualify for this offer. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly
- Sky Bet: New customers only. First single & e/w bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 4 x £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets are non withdrawable. Free bets expire after 30 days. Eligibility restrictions and further t&cs apply. 18+. Gambleaware.org
- BetMGM: New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10 at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 football, 1 x £10 horse racing & 2 x £10 Bet Builders. Free Bets cannot be used on e-sports and non UK/IE horse racing. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
- Betfred: New customers only. 18+. Register (excl 05/04/25), deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility exclusions & T&Cs Apply. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
Punchestown Festival day 1 betting tips
Wondering where best to use your 2025 Punchestown Festival free bets on day 1? Read on for our best betting tips.
There are three Grade 1 contests on Tuesday, headlined by the William Hill Champion Chase at 6pm as Cheltenham Festival scorers Marine Nationale and Fact To File go head-to-head in a classy field of six runners.
- Selection: Marine Nationale @ 7/4 with bet365
- Next Best: Solness @ 11/1 with Paddy Power
Connell’s charge set for Nationale service
MARINE NATIONALE was a convincing winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase at last month’s Cheltenham Festival and there’s little doubt that track and trip at Punchestown promise to suit him.
That win in the Cotswolds was a first success over fences for Marine Nationale since his chasing bow at Leopardstown in December 2023.
He was beaten in four starts afterwards, with placed efforts in Grade 1s at the Foxrock track in December and February teeing him up for a personal best at Cheltenham.
Many observers believed he was the horse to take from the Dublin Racing Festival after he was second in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase behind Solness, the winner dominating in front, and so it proved at Cheltenham.
Trainer Barry Connell is never backwards in coming forward on his hopes for this horse and it could pay to heed his musings ahead of Punchestown.
“He’s actually improved from Cheltenham, both physically and mentally. I couldn’t be any happier with him,” he recently told the Racing Post. “He couldn’t be in a better place. All I can say is that we’re ready for it and we can’t wait.”
Punchestown Champion Chase Betting Tips – Tip 1: Marine Nationale @ 7/4 with bet365
- Multiple BC UK Bookmaker Awards winner, including Best Bookmaker
- Attractive promos, including boosted odds & free games
Solness could still be the value
On the prospect of facing Fact To File at Punchestown, Connell added that ‘if he wants to take us on, fair play to him’.
There’s no doubting the visual impression created by Willie Mullins’ impressive Ryanair Chase scorer was hugely positive at Cheltenham, but the overall strength and depth of that intermediate Grade 1 is there to be questioned and the runner-up, Heart Wood, was soundly beaten at Fairyhouse since. More pertinently for the JP McManus-owned Fact To File would be pondering whether or not he can handle this drop back to two miles.
He won the John Durkan over 2m3½f in November but all of his other runs over jumps have come beyond even that trip. He last ran at this sort of distance in the Champion Bumper.
He’s a high-class horse, but the trip must raise some concerns and on that basis the odds-on favourite is sidestepped.
SOLNESS won two Grade 1s at Leopardstown at Christmas and during the Dublin Racing Festival by dominating from the front. He couldn’t repeat that at Cheltenham, unaided by a standing start, but it would be folly to write him off.
They appear the three major contenders, with Captain Guinness not the force of old and the same true of El Fabiolo, despite him being two years younger than Henry De Bromhead’s former Champion Chaser.
The Mullins inmate was stunned by Senecia in a 2m4½f Grade 2 at Navan in early March and then fell at Aintree in the Melling Chase over that same trip. El Fabiolo now has two falls on his record from three starts this season and, dropping back in trip, will have to sharpen up his fencing dramatically to avoid any further mishaps.
This could easily develop into a straight scrap between Marine Nationale and Fact To File, but the Joseph O’Brien-trained Solness deserves his place on the bill as well and could be of some value to split the big duo.
Punchestown Champion Chase Betting Tips – Tip 2: Solness @ 11/1 with Paddy Power
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