Sunday Irish Racing Tips: Mark Milligan expecting Henry De Bromhead to have a good day

There's racing on both the flat and over jumps in Ireland on Saturday, with Fairyhouse providing the action on the level, while Sligo is the venue for a seven-race national hunt card.

The feature event on Fairyhouse's card is the 7f Group 3 Irish Stallions EBF Brownstown Stakes (16:15) for fillies and mares, where I'm expecting a pair of three-year-olds to come to the fore against some older rivals.

On the face of it, the Ger Lyons stable doesn't look in great form having notched just one winner in the last fortnight but look a little closer and we can see that a fair amount of the yard's runners have hit the crossbar.

That should enthuse supporters of Affogato, who built on her maiden win at Gowran in April with a convincing success in a three-runner minor contest over this C&D last time.

She ought to go well again but the waters are deeper here and I prefer the claims of fellow three-year-old challenger Star Girls Aalmal.

A winner at Dundalk in November and Gowran in April, she then ran a good race when fourth to Homeless Songs in the Irish 1000 Guineas before occupying the same position in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot last time.

Henry De Bromhead's daughter of Elzaam was arguably a bit better than the bare result in the latter outing too, having hit a bit of trouble a couple of furlongs home before staying on to be beaten only a couple of lengths.

Back her against her own sex here, she should take a world of beating.

Some Dove still unexposed

Over at Sligo, Henry De Bromhead should also have a big say in the 2m 1f mares novice handicap hurdle at 14:45, with his Some Dove looking open to improvement as she starts out in a handicap for the first time.

The winner of a Kilbeggan maiden by 14 lengths last month, the assessor has reacted by giving her an opening mark of 106, which could well be on the lenient side.

She absolutely sluiced up in that contest, and with just four starts under her belt she will undoubtedly continue to progress.

However, she's coming up against the hat-trick seeking Hophornbeam, who herself is on the upgrade but will need to keep on progressing if she's to give weight away to De Bromhead's mare.

Gordon Elliott's daughter of Yeats was trained by Ciaran Murphy before this year but immediately got off the mark for hew new stable when taking a Clonmel handicap in convincing fashion just under a month ago.

Sent to Cartmel for a novice contest on the back of that, she took care of four opponents there and is obviously in the best of hands.

The handicapper has taken few chances with her updated handicap mark, though, and I'm more than happy to side with the unexposed Some Dove.

Mullins to take the closer

The closing 2m 2f bumper at 17:05 has a few unknown quantities in it but if none of the newcomers are out of the ordinary it should really boil down to a match between Grivei and On The Sixth Day.

The latter made a really encouraging debut for John Patrick Ryan over 2m 4f in deep ground at Listowel last month, finishing a good second to Hot As Pepper.

However, confidence is tempered slightly with the winner being well beaten on hurdling debut next time and several others not doing much for the form either.

Consequently, I'm siding with Grivei, who himself was a good second on debut, albeit that coming back in January, though he won't lack for fitness hailing from the Willie Mullins yard.

He didn't really get the rub of the green there either but was doing some good late work and should appreciate stepping up a couple of furlongs in trip here.

In contrast to On The Sixth Day's debut, the form look solid too, with both the third and the fourth winning next time.

I'll be disappointed if Grivei doesn't take this and he rates my best bet on the day.