Weekend previews: The first Sunday race meeting in Northern Ireland to allow on-course betting will take place at Downpatrick tomorrow and the track authorities are cautiously optimistic it will go ahead without any protests.
A controversial Ulster rugby match at Ravenhill this winter had to contend with protests led by the Rev Ian Paisley but forecasts of a similar display outside Downpatrick have been played down.
"There had been strong rumours that the Rev Ian Paisley might be here but I'm told that that's a load of nonsense," said the Downpatrick manager, Ian Duff, who debated the issue of betting on the Sabbath with a Free Presbyterian Minister on local radio yesterday.
New legislation was passed last month allowing betting on-course and a track record attendance of over 4,000 people is being predicted for tomorrow's event.
The feature race is the five-runner €17,000 novice chase where the figures give a 7lb edge to the Arthur Moore-trained Junior Fontaine over Charlie Swan's runner, Contempo Suite. The latter finished lame on its last start, however, and could be worth chancing in this.
Dusty Sheehy's Eurocelt made a bad mistake at the fourth last behind Just Cassandra at Wexford a week ago and looks the safest option in the Hunters Chase.
Down at Tramore today the Champion Hurdle winning jockey Conor O'Dwyer is on the 123-rated Be My Better Half in the conditions chase but Light On The Broom may be the one to bounce back to winning form after a disappointing effort behind Emperors Guest at Naas.
The bumper is a competitive race but if Gaelic Scholar is in the same form as when fifth to Templelusk, then the Paul Nolan horse could be the one to follow.
