Photographed here by Ballymore Eustace photographer Christy Dennison, the late Fr Sean Breen will be doubly honoured at opening day of Festival 2019.
An iconic figure in Irish racing, today will see the Friends of Fr Breen unveil a tribute to commemorate 'The Breener'/'The Racing Priest', a man fondly remembered by the racing fraternity, whilst also acknowledging the contribution the late Fr Sean made to the parishes of Ballymore Eustace and Eadestown, and to his many friends within the racing sector across Co Kildare.
A life size statue in bronze of the late Fr Sean will be unveiled circa 2-2.15pm this afternoon, depicting the Racing Priest holding a racecard in one hand and his other hand raised in salutation. Seated on a bench, the sculpture was designed by renowned Irish sculpture Emma McDermott and is erected outside the weighroom at Punchestown Racecourse.
Former parishioners and racegoers can stop and sit with Fr Sean, maybe say a prayer, or seek assistance in their bet selection or simply sit and contemplate with the figure of a man so many of us knew well. Whilst he gave many good tips from the alter after his Sunday services, he was also an extremely spiritual man and would happily say a prayer or give a blessing when he felt it was needed.
All welcome to drop by for the unveiling after 2pm today, and of course, the first race off at 3.40pm is the Kildare Hunt Club Fr Sean Breen Memorial Cross Country S'chase. In between the unveiling and the opening race of Festival 2019, the finalist of Paint the Town Red will be introduced in the Parade Ring before the overall winner is announced. See racecard listing below.
Yes, it's raining - but hey, that's consistent too but with the huge entertainment and dining facilities now available at the national hunt racecourse, there's no need to suffer the wet weather!
Day One, we're ready for off and racing continues up to and including Saturday's AES Family Fun Day.
Tuesday 30 April - BoyleSports Champion Chase Day
3.40: Kildare Hunt Club Fr. Sean Breen Memorial Cross Country Steeplechase of €15,000 over 3 miles 1 furlong
4.20: The Grade 1 Herald Champion Novice Hurdle of €100,000 2 miles 100 yards
4.55: The Killashee Handicap Hurdle (Grade B) of €60,000 2 miles 100 yards
5.30: The Grade 1 BoyleSports Champion Steeplechase of €300,000 2 miles
6.05: The Goffs Land Rover Bumper of €100,000 2 miles 100 yards
6.40: The Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Steeplechase of €100,000 3 miles 120 yards
7.15: The Sanctuary Synthetics Flat Race of €15,000 2 miles 100 yards
Feature photo was taken in 2007 by Christy Dennison, taken at a Cheltenham Preview Night in Paddy Murphy's, Ballymore Eustace.
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