The Galway businessman Ray Rooney has been appointed senior steward of the Turf Club. He replaces Gerry Scanlan who retires from the post at the end of his two-year term.

Rooney, an established owner with horses that have included the ill-fated Cheltenham winner Golden Cygnet, is in the insurance business and has been deputy senior steward for the past two years.

He has been a Turf Club member since 1986 and is also vice-chairman of Galway racecourse.

The new deputy senior steward is Pierce Molony and two new stewards, Philip Myerscough and Gordon Holmes, have been appointed. The Ballydoyle team will be represented at Tipperary today by King Of Tara, the brother to the champion two-year-old Revoque, that won on his debut over a mile at the Curragh. He goes in the seven furlong conditions race but possibly the most interesting runer at the Junction will be an ex-Ballydoyle inmate.

The beautifully bred and grandiosely named Homer makes his jumping debut in the second division of the maiden hurdle for Cork based Gerry Cully, hardly what was expected for the horse when he won as a juvenile at Leopardstown in 1999.

On that occasion Homer beat the subsequent Stakes winner Shoal Creek by six lengths and back in third was Grand Finale, the only horse ever to beat the subsequent double Derby and Arc de Triomphe winner Sinndar.

Homer's last start was in July behind Muakaad and he has since moved on to Cully who could have a potentially very smart young jumper on his hands.

The Sadlers Wells filly Adonesque should appreciate the two furlong hike in trip from her Curragh second to Baron De Feypo and land the opener for John Oxx while Mr Red Banner will be most people's fancy for the novice hurdle despite being pulled up behind Colonel Braxton last time out. The Hourigan runner's 122 rating will help banish that memory for most.