Starter's Orders

A day at the races can be lots of fun, but if you back the wrong horse, you might go home feeling a little cheated by fate. So if you're one of the 40,000 punters who will be attending this weekend's meet at Fairyhouse, it might be prudent to mark your card before you place your bets. There are numerous champions racing tomorrow, along with some young stallions, old warhorses, and a few who are almost ready for the knacker's yard.

Main Race: A few rustic, reliable and rather dull drayhorses are running today and tomorrow, but techno broncos Leftfield should leave them all behind with a loud finish.

Travis are the clear favourites for tomorrow night, but the fine fillies in All Saints might just leave the boys huffing and puffing. Witnness More: Good odds on Doves and Badly Drawn Boy today, while Asian Dub Foundation should trundle comfortably into first place tomorrow. Witnness Dance: The liveliest races will be run here, and today's hot favourites include Death In Vegas, MJ Cole and Louis Vega from the Masters At Work stable. Roni Size's Reprazent is still ahead in tomorrow's stakes, but watch out for an outside flank attack by Groove Armada.

Witnness Rising: Not much worth backing on this race today, unless you're into the cross-breeding of Afro-Cuban Allstars. Tomorrow's best bets include home-trained acts like The Walls and David Kitt, but American act Yo La Tengo should upset the applecart a bit.

Witnness is at Fairyhouse Racecourse today and tomorrow. Music starts at 12.30 p.m. and ends at 1 a.m. each day. Tickets cost £34.50 for one day and £59 for two days (01-4569569).