Beef Or Salmon returns at Curragh
At Clonmel yesterday his trainer, Michael Hourigan, confirmed that his stable star will contest the two mile Peter Byrne Kildare race, the last event of the afternoon.
“He is fit and well and we are using this as a prep for the Power Gold Cup at Fairyhouse”, said Hourigan.
“He has to work somewhere and might as well be earning a few bob while he’s doing it.”
Beef Or Salmon also ran in the race last year, when he split Ned Kelly and Limestone Lad. Michael Kinane has been booked to ride.
The chickens came home to roost as far as Limerick Racecourse was concerned yesterday when the next two meetings scheduled to take place there were abandoned by the Turf Club.
Limerick was due to race on April 16 and May 5, but, following an inspection of the track, the plug was pulled on both dates. The Turf Club inspectors refused to pass the track recently and they returned to Limerick yesterday, accompanied by Sean Barry, Registrar of the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee.
Barry reported they found a portion of the track that would be raceable once April and May had passed. The rest of the surface, however, needs time to recover and there would be no racing on that until October.
Both the abandoned programmes have been re-scheduled to other courses by Horse Racing Ireland. The April 16 card goes to Tipperary and May 5 to Cork.
Some 15m was spent on the the state-of-the-art facilities, but, unfortunately, the track itself has been the subject of constant criticism.
Graham Bradley still faces five years out of racing despite the partial success of his appeal against an eight-year ban.
Bradley was accused of having passed information to various individuals including alleged drugs dealer Brian Wright.
Bradley didn’t rule out the possibility of fighting the ban in the courts.
