PwC Champion Chase Day at Gowran Park

Gowran Park’s National Hunt season reaches an early highlight on Saturday 3 October with the PwC Champion Chase, a Grade 2 contest that is the biggest chase of the track’s autumn card. It is supported by two further graded races, the Joe Mac Novice Hurdle and the Like-A-Butterfly Novice Chase, both Grade 3, making this the strongest jumps card at Gowran since the previous spring and a highlight for anyone following the early part of the new National Hunt season.

What to expect

The PwC Champion Chase is run over fences at Grade 2 level, drawing established chasers from Irish yards as they build toward the winter’s bigger festivals. The Like-A-Butterfly Novice Chase is named for the Christy Roche-trained mare who won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the Irish Champion Hurdle and the Powers Gold Cup in the early 2000s, one of the most talented Irish jumps horses of her generation. Three graded races on one card is a strong sign of intent from Gowran Park, and it typically means a bigger field, sharper competition and a busier grandstand than the track’s regular fixtures. Expect the full range of on-course facilities: bars, food, the Tote and bookmakers, and a parade ring close enough to the stands to get a proper look at the horses before each race.

Getting there

Gowran is on the N10 between Kilkenny city and Carlow town, about 15 minutes’ drive from Kilkenny city centre and roughly 90 minutes from Dublin via the M9. On-site parking is free but fills earlier than usual on graded race days, and a complimentary bus has previously run from the Parade in Kilkenny city, worth checking ahead of the meeting.

While you’re in Gowran

Gowran’s medieval collegiate church and quiet streets are worth half an hour if you arrive ahead of the first race. There is more to see in Gowran and across Co. Kilkenny.

Good to know

• Date: Saturday, 3 October 2026
• Venue: Gowran Park Racecourse, Gowran
• Feature races: PwC Champion Chase (Grade 2); Joe Mac Novice Hurdle (Grade 3); Like-A-Butterfly Novice Chase (Grade 3)
• Admission: €15 pre-purchased online, €20 on the gate; OAP and student €10 pre-purchased, €15 on the gate
• Exact race times are published closer to the meeting, check gowranpark.ie