Racing News round-upBeef Or Salmon has been installed a clear favourite to get his Cheltenham ambitions back on track in Sunday's Hennessy Gold Cup but Michael Hourigan insists the star chaser will not run at Leopardstown unless he is completely happy with him.
Last year's Hennessy winner did his first piece of serious work since disappointing in the Ericsson at the weekend and is due for another work out tomorrow. Only then will Hourigan even begin to think about how well Beef Or Salmon has recovered from the mucus problem that affected him at Christmas.
"I've been down this road before with horses and I've made the mistake of going too soon with them. I will not make that mistake this time. There is nothing wrong with the horse. He is 100 per cent and will work on Wednesday on grass. But it is quite possible we will delay a decision until Friday. My owners will leave it as long as possible and there is no pressure on me to decide until I have to," the Co Limerick trainer said yesterday.
Sunday's big race was cut to eight entries at yesterday's forfeit stage and with England's Keen Leader and First Gold from France taken out, it will be an all-domestic affair. Bookmaker reaction was to make Beef Or Salmon a warm favourite with Cashmans going so far as to make the horse odds on "with a run".
However, Hourigan insists that a small field will have no bearing on whether Beef Or Salmon runs and said: "I don't care about that. My horse is more important than anything like that."
The inclusion of the Willie Mullins pair Florida Pearl (1999-01) and Alexander Banquet (2002) means that the winners of the last five Hennessys could clash and Beef Or Salmon looks the only one that might pull out of such a showdown.
Yesterday Mullins reported: "We found a little bit of mucus in Florida Pearl's lungs last week but nothing important and the way the ground was at Ascot on Saturday I'm glad he didn't travel there. I hope Richard Johnson will ride and it's a race the horse has been lucky in. The one thing is that the ground may not be ideal."
The Leopardstown manager Tom Burke reported the going as "soft" and it is likely that the surface could get even more testing by Sunday.
Ground conditions will not be of concern to Christy Roche who will give Le Coudray his first start since finishing runner-up to Best Mate in the Ericsson where he had Beef Or Salmon behind him.
"The trip is of some concern rather than the ground but as it is a big race and we are going to run. He is in grand form and the plan is for Barry Geraghty to ride," Roche said.
The Hennessy may be Sunday's centre-piece but Cheltenham festival hints are likely to be plentiful especially in the PJ Moriarty Novice Chase where Pizarro heads a 13-strong entry.
The Edward O'Grady-trained novice is as short as 6 to 1 for the SunAlliance Chase but punters may be denied the chance of an invaluable form line to the top British novice form if the Victor Dartnall-trained Lord Sam doesn't take up the Moriarty entry, a step that looked probably last night.
Cashmans played it safe and made Lord Sam 2 to 1 "with a run" but still installed Pizarro as their 11 to 8 favourite. Both Boneyarrow and Mossy Green from the Mullins team will line up against the market leader.
However, Willie Mullins was slow to commit Sadlers Wings, as low as 10 to 1 third favourite for the SunAlliance, to the Deloitte Novice Hurdle where the Noel Meade trio of Watson Lake, Mark The Man and Zum See provide the Co Meath trainer with a very strong hand in a race that could be of huge festival significance.
Mullins reported: "I'm not that pushed about running Sadlers Wings. If it gets really soft I wouldn't be bursting to run him and I'd just leave him at home."
Hennessy Gold Cup. Paddy Power: 6-4 Beef Or Salmon, 4 Rince Ri, 9-2 Le Coudray & Harbour Pilot, 6 Cloudy Bays, 8 Florida Pearl, 25 Alexander Banquet, 33 Be My Belle.
Cashmans: 4-5 "with a run" Beef Or Salmon, 3 Harbour Pilot, 4 Cloudy Bays & Le Coudray, 5 Rince Ri, 6 Florida Pearl, 25 Alexander Banquet, 33 Be My Belle.
PJ Moriarty Chase. Paddy Power: 13-8 Pizarro, 6 Mossy Green & Xenophon, 7 Emotional Moment, Boneyarrow & Camden Tanner, 10 Bar.
