Downpatrick Racecourse: preview and tips for Friday’s seven-race Summer Jumps card
Just two more Summer Jumps meetings remain at Downpatrick Racecourse for this season, with the penultimate card taking place on Friday afternoon at the track.
Racing gets underway at 2.15pm with a maiden hurdle over two miles and one furlong before the card comes to a close with an 11-runner bumper contest over the same distance.
Read below to discover the latest tips and a full card preview of Downpatrick’s meeting on Friday courtesy of BoyleSports, who offer the latest horse racing odds throughout the season.Â
The opening contest on the card (2.15) sees a field of 11 head to the start for the two mile and one furlong maiden hurdle for horses aged four and older.
County Waterford trainer Henry De Bromhead has his team in good shape and his runner Newtown Rambler is the selection in the opener on debut, finishing runner up in two point to points before making the move to Rules racing and has the booking of Rachael Blackmore to steer him around.
Omniscient arguably sets the standard in this race for trainer Gordon Elliott but is proving to be a bit expensive to follow and could well be turned over again at short odds here.
Bayou Belle has finished second on her last three runs, all at Wexford, so heads north of the border to change that when she lines up alongside ten rivals in the 80-109 rated handicap hurdle to mark race two on the card (2.45).
The Jarlath Fahey-trained five-year-old is taken to get the edge over chief rival Steps In The Sand, a course and distance winner in July and a good third on the flat at Tipperary 19 days ago.
Race three of the afternoon is a 80-95 rated handicap hurdle and a field of 15 are set to take on the two mile and one furlong distance around Downpatrick (3.20).
Sandyman for trainer John McConnell should have won here last time out 40 days, clattering the final fence when very well placed and only managing fifth, so he is taken to right that wrong this time around.
Of his rivals, Init Together was a good second over course and distance 25 days ago so should be right up there once again.
A small field of six will take on the two mile and five furlong novice hurdle at 3.55, race four of the afternoon, with preference here heading the way of Boston Jury for trainer Gordon Elliott, who got off the mark when landing a 13-runner maiden hurdle at this track three weeks ago and further improvement is expected from the four-year-old for a trainer who won this race last year with Ringdufferin.
Due Course appears to be the one to beat in race five of the afternoon as 11 runners tackle the two mile and one furlong beginners chase (4.30).
Trained by Gavin Cromwell, due course was a modest hurdler at best but did pick up a win at Bellewstown 23 days ago to start an upward curve, and is now sent chasing for the first time with a background in point-to-points so he should go well here.
The penultimate race on Downpatrick’s Thursday card sees a field of ten head to the start for the 0-109 rated handicap chase for horses aged five and upwards (5.00) where trainer Henry De Bromhead can secure a double on the card with Hand Over Fist, a promising type who was a winner over hurdles and then landed a career-best when scoring over the bigger fences at Kilbeggan on his last spin so is more than capable of following up with top jockey Blackmore piloting.
Finally, the card comes to a close with a bumper over the two mile and one furlong distance (5.35) and it’s another field of 11 runners that are set to take it on. Dipped Moonlight for Emmett Mullins showed some inexperience in a Down Royal bumper three weeks ago when finishing second but should strip well for that run and go one better here to land the victory.
Diamond Tip is the main danger here for trainer John McConnell, who improved markedly to land a second in a Bellewstown bumper just over three weeks ago having been well-fancied in the market that day.
Downpatrick selections – Friday
2.15 – Newtown Rambler
2.45 – Bayou Belle
3.20 – Sandyman
3.55 – Boston Jury
4.30 – Due Course
5.00 – Hand Over Fist
5.35 – Dipped Moonligh
