RACING: Florida Pearl's defection means there is now even more Irish focus on Beef Or Salmon's Gold Cup chance and the Michael Hourigan-trained star satisfied his connections in an important racecourse work-out yesterday.
Timmy Murphy flew from Britain to gallop Beef Or Salmon over two miles at Cork racecourse and the outcome was enough to have Hourigan looking cautiously ahead to the big race itself in 13 days' time.
"He is going the right way and I'm happy enough with him. He worked fine and we have a fortnight now to finish things off. He seems to be over his problems and hopefully we can keep him safe and sound until then," Hourigan said.
It has been a struggle for the Co Limerick trainer to get Beef Or Salmon back on track for the Gold Cup since the horse's well-publicised muscle problems.
However extensive physio work from Liz Kent, who helped Alamshar ahead of his Irish Derby triumph last year, and some dressage exercises appear to have put the Beef Or Salmon Gold Cup challenge on track.
Mariah Rollins, one of the main Irish fancies for the festival opener, the Supreme Novices Hurdle, is also starting to impress her connections at the right time.
Third to Brave Inca in the Deloitte on her last start, David Casey's mount is as low as 8 to 1 second favourite for Cheltenham and is giving trainer Pat Fahy all the right signals.
"The more work we give her the more she is sparkling and in the last few days she has really started to please me," said Fahy, who will be saddling just his third festival runner.
"Ideally I suppose I would like the ground to be good or good to yielding but she has won on good to firm and will go on it. Like most people though I will be happy if the going is safe.
"I ran Nuaffe in the Gold Cup and ran another one at the festival last year but this is a horse that is a short price and obviously has a chance," he added.
Also yesterday, Michael Halford confirmed that Paul Carberry will team up with his Wetherbys Champion Bumper hope Mr McAuley at the festival.
Carberry had already committed himself to Halford's Champion Hurdle contender Golden Cross and will now ride the Curragh trainer's other festival hope.
"Golden Cross likes a bit of cut whereas the other horse would have no problems with good ground. He is a great mover. But Golden Cross handled good ground at Cheltenham last year, worked well on it at Leopardstown at the weekend and should be okay too," Halford said.
Jessica Harrington reports that the reigning two-mile champion Moscow Flyer will have a racecourse gallop next week.
"He is in very good form and we will probably take him to Naas or Navan. He may go to Naas on Monday but everything depends on the weather," she said.
Harrington's other Cheltenham hopes, Spirit Leader (Champion Hurdle) and Colca Canyon (Arkle) will work this weekend.
The Turf Club's appeals and referrals committee will be busy today with four cases that include the controversial disqualification of Macs Joy at Leopardstown on Hennessy Gold Cup day.
Also to be heard this morning is the appeal from Arthur Moore into the race in which his horse, The Railway Man, was beaten in on the same day.
However one hearing that will not take place today is into an incident involving the top amateur Derek O'Connor in a Co Down point-to-point recently.
O'Connor, who could miss out on the middle day of Cheltenham if suspended, has asked for the hearing to be adjourned. His appeal is expected to be heard before the end of next week.
