Richard Dunwoody tuned up for this evening's opening of the Killarney July festival with a spin around Silverstone yesterday and Lanturn looks a winning opportunity for the former champion in the featured Heineken Chase.

Dunwoody indulged his passion for motor racing by driving in the Porsche Pirelli Supercup, one of the events on the run-up to the British Grand Prix. He didn't expect to be competitive after limited practice time in the car but limited recent practice can prove no burden to Lanturn.

A five-time winner last year, Pat Hughes' horse hasn't run since Navan in February but with the ground sure to ride on the fast side tonight, he looks to the one to be on.

Most of the runners in the £15,000 event will have half an eye on the upcoming Galway Plate at the end of the month including last year's Plate runner-up Lucky Town as well as the veteran Merry Gale and the comparative novice Cloone Bridge.

Lanturn, however, usually runs well fresh, the Hughes string are racing out of their skins and Dunwoody looks a significant booking. That looks good enough.

The rest of the eight-race card features any number of dilemmas for punters but may be the exception could be Abinitio Lady in the concluding bumper. This one made an eye-catching debut at Cork a month ago when third to the winners Regent Style and Lodge Hill. The danger looks to be Pauhutzanka who ran third Oriental Buck at Roscommon.

The mile juvenile maiden looks trappy but maybe Dermot Weld can provide the solution in Fureur France who didn't do too badly behind Bernstein on his debut while Weld can also land the opener with Abaco, runner-up to Polenka on the flat and Leopardstown and one that will love the ground.

The other card tomorrow is at Dundalk and that too presents the sort of problems that will make punters wary. Navan trainer Liam McAteer usually does well at this track and maybe his Laytown winner Times O'War, who ran a decent second to Gates at Bellewstown last time, can do the trick in the mile handicap.

Francis Flood will fancy his chances in the opening two races with the Wexford winner Star Storm and The Uileann Piper who ran second to Penndara last time out while Wire Man could appreciate the hike up to 12 furlongs enough in the Carlingford Handicap to win.