Suite success will mark a Sunday first

Weekend previews: The first Sunday race meeting in Northern Ireland to allow on-course betting will take place at Downpatrick…

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.

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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.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column