News round-up: Beef Or Salmon will face a maximum eight rivals in next week's Lexus Chase as he pursues a third career victory in the feature race of the third day of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival.
Among the likely opposition to Beef Or Salmon are the Aintree Grand National hero Hedgehunter and War Of Attrition who is on a retrieval mission after a disappointing effort in the Durkan Chase earlier this month.
However, Beef Or Salmon appears to dominate the nine-strong entry for the Lexus and trainer Michael Hourigan was quietly confident yesterday about the chances of his stable star adding to victories in 2002 and over Best Mate last year.
"He has come on a good bit for that run at Haydock where Paul (Carberry) said he blew up three times on him. The ground was very gluey that day so better going at Leopardstown won't inconvenience him at all," he said.
Willie Mullins also confirmed yesterday that Hedgehunter would take his chance in the Grade One event and said: "We're very happy with him at the moment and better ground would not be a worry."
Mullins is heavily represented among the 20 entries for the other Grade One event at Leopardstown next Wednesday, the Ascon-Rohcon Novice Chase.
Both Major Vernon and Homer Wells feature along with the SunAlliance Hurdle third Our Ben and the Cheltenham bumper winner Missed That who went some way to restoring his reputation by winning at Naas last time out. "I will run one of them, maybe two maximum, but I won't make my mind up about who runs until the declaration stage," Mullins said.
"Missed That is in about three or four races, including the one in Limerick, and again I will take my time before deciding where he goes. But he did work well this morning which pleased me," he added.
Just seven horses remain in the Grade Two woodiesdiy.com Christmas Hurdle and with the defection of the French star Baracouda, Solerina appears to dominate the race.
However, Golden Cross, who failed by only a short head in the Hatton's Grace, is among the seven entries although Michael Halford has a choice between the stayers race or the two-mile Bewleys Hurdle the following day.
Golden Cross won the Bewleys in 2003 at a record Grade One SP of 66 to 1.
Last year's winner Kicking King heads the 11 horses left in the King George VI Chase at Sandown on Monday and Tom Taaffe's star is set for another clash with last season's runner-up Kingscliff.
The latter is chasing a possible £1 million bonus after coming out on top in last month's Betfair Chase at Haydock.
Of the other opposition Impek will try to secure a third King George for Henrietta Knight while the French horse L'Ami is in line to provide his trainer Francois Doumen with a remarkable sixth success in the race.
Kicking King, however, is a general 7 to 4 favourite for Monday.
