SOLE English challenger Kitski is a hopeful choice to win the Ellen Construction Thyestes Handicap ’Chase at Gowran Park this afternoon.

IF some of us are to learn one lesson from the four-day Leopardstown extravaganza it is that we must never, ever, underestimate Brave Inca again.

RACING was called off following the second contest at Fairyhouse yesterday, after the stewards decided it was no longer safe to continue.

ALL you have to do is look at the bare result of this year's Cheltenham Gold Cup to realise just how a big a chance Kauto Star has in the 2007 renewal.

Beef Or Salmon proved he is still one of the best in the business when lowering the colours of War Of Attrition in a thrilling renewal of the James Nicholson Wine Merchant Champion Chase at Down Royal today.

Beef Or Salmon defeated War Of Attrition in a thrilling renewal of the James Nicholson Wine Merchant Champion Chase at Down Royal.

Former selector John Owens has been unveiled as Tipperary's new senior footballer manager.

DIFFERENT TACTICS, different course. Yes, Macs Joy had no trouble reversing Cheltenham running with Brave Inca in the ACC Bank Champion Hurdle at Punchestown yesterday.

THE only conclusion to be drawn, following War Of Attrition's performance in yesterday's Guinness Gold Cup at Punchestown, is that it will take a very special horse to lower his colours if he arrives fit and healthy at next year's Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Mouse Morris’s War of Attrition completed a famous Festival double in the Guinness Gold Cup at Punchestown this afternoon.

WHAT a fantastic time to be associated with National Hunt racing in Ireland.

VICTORY for the Irish comes no sweeter than in the Gold Cup and if favourite Beef Or Salmon yet again failed to lead the shamrock-bedecked hordes to their racing Valhalla, Mouse Morris, Conor O’Dwyer and War Of Attrition stepped into the breach to bring racing’s Blue Riband home for the second consecutive year.

WAR OF ATTRITION will run in Friday's Totesport Gold Cup at Cheltenham, in preference to the Ryanair Chase on Thursday.

RUBY WALSH, fresh from his comeback success on Cornish Sett at Newbury on Saturday, heads the panel for the Cashmans Bookmakers Cheltenham Preview at the Silversprings Hotel in Cork tonight at 8pm.

A FURIOUS row has erupted between the Jockeys' Association and Gerry Desmond, manager of Clonmel racecourse, following comments made by Desmond on RTE's Morning Ireland programme yesterday.

RACING at Clonmel yesterday was abandoned after the third race, the second division of the Irish Stallion Farms' EBF Maiden Hurdle, in the interests of safety.

THREE days after his Grade 1 success on The Railway Man at Leopardstown, Davy Russell was back among the winners at Fairyhouse yesterday, bringing his total for the season to 60 with an easy win on Fools Rush In in the Advanced Hospitality Bookings Maiden Hurdle.

STONEVILLE took his tally to two from two over flights with a smooth performance in the Jim Strang and Sons Peugeot Novice Hurdle at Clonmel yesterday.

BRAVE INCA is now clear favourite for the Smurfit Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham following yet another superb performance in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown yesterday.

JOHN MURPHY enjoyed the biggest success of his seven-year training career when Newmill won the Grade Two MacLochlainn Road Markings Ltd Kinloch Brae 'Chase at Thurles yesterday.

TOM TAAFFE, who broke the news earlier in the day that Kicking King would miss the Cheltenham Gold Cup, had a modicum of compensation when In The High Grass won the Kanturk Maiden Hurdle at Cork yesterday.

BEEF OR SALMON thundered back into Cheltenham Gold Cup contention when storming away with the Grade One Lexus Chase at Leopardstown yesterday.

War Of Attrition disappointed as Hi Cloy, trained by Michael Hourigan and ridden by Andrew McNamara, got up in the dying strides to claim glory in the Grade One John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.

MICHAEL HOURIGAN went through an agonising twenty minutes or so at Cork on Saturday.

WAR OF ATTRITION, even if his trainer Mouse Morris refuses to commit him to the race, remained firmly on the Gold Cup trail with a solid half a length defeat of Rathgar Beau in the Clonmel Oil Chase at Clonmel yesterday.

ISN'T it smashing that Kicking King is going to be involved in a real race at Haydock on Saturday.

FEATHARD LADY maintained her unbeaten record with victory in the 30,000 Anglo Irish Bank Hurdle at Down Royal yesterday.

IT takes two to tango and, on that basis, it will be disappointing should Mouse Morris decide to sidestep Saturday's James Nicholson Wine Merchant Champion Chase at Down Royal with War Of Attrition.

THE exciting Euro Leader faces easily his biggest test to date in Sunday's €100,000 Anglo Irish Bank Munster National Handicap Chase at Limerick.

DAVENPORT DEMOCRAT gave Ruby Walsh an armchair ride on his way to success in the Dawn Pure Orange Juice Beginners Chase at the first stage of the Listowel Festival yesterday.

PAT VERLING produced Berkley cherry-ripe after a long, tough season to land the featured Killarney 250 Handicap Chase as another good crowd turned out in the sunshine at the Kerry track yesterday evening.

British runners gave the Irish a taste of their own medicine at Punchestown today as Ferdy Murphy's Carlys Quest sprung a 25-1 shock in the Ballymore Properties Champion Stayers Hurdle.

War Of Attrition, trained by Mouse Morris and ridden by Conor O'Dwyer, has won the Grade One Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase at Punchestown today.

DERMOT WELD, who introduced Refuse To Bend to racing at Gowran Park three years ago, produced another potentially high class colt at the Kilkenny track yesterday when Medicinal made an impressive debut.

LEADING Irish trainers will be able to judge conditions at Punchestown for themselves today when they go on the annual course walk ahead of next week’s four-day Festival.

IN all the years I have been travelling to Cheltenham, I have never seen a more extraordinary Champion Hurdle.

MASTER punter and multi-millionaire JP McManus is believed to have relieved one bookie of €700,000 yesterday as Irish eyes were smiling at Cheltenham.

WAR OF ATTRITION, for many the banker of the meeting for the visitors, was sunk without trace in the Irish Independent Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham yesterday.

IT IS SAID that the best method of asserting an opinion is to put your money where your mouth is.

MENTION retirement to Conor O'Dwyer and you quickly realise he regards such a notion as, well, quite preposterous.

HENRIETTA Knight and Terry Biddlecombe, the team responsible for four in-a-row Gold Cup seeking Best Mate at Cheltenham this day fortnight, head an all-star cast for the Cashmans Bookmakers Cheltenham Preview next Tuesday night.