Beef tender following Down Royal success
The eight-year-old suffered an over-reach in the process of beating Kicking King comfortably, after racing wide throughout in the hands of Timmy Murphy.
“He has a nice gash”, reported Hourigan. “But it is nothing to worry about and a couple of days at the seaside won’t do him any harm.”
Hourigan would like to run Beef Or Salmon in the Clonmel Oil Chase on Thursday week, but that may not be possible now.
“It will certainly tighten me to get him there”, said the trainer. “I’d like to run, it’s a long time to Christmas.”
That Christmas target will, of course, be the Ericsson at Leopardstown.
There has been much speculation regarding who will partner Beef Or Salmon in the future, following comments made by David Johnson at the weekend.
Murphy is contracted to Johnson, the biggest owner in England, who said: “I doubt that he (Murphy) will be free for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, as I hope to have a runner in that and I’d expect Timmy to ride it.
“I’m slightly surprised that the connections of Beef Or Salmon haven’t already started to make alternative arrangements.”
Johnson currently has two candidates who might be regarded as Gold Cup possibilities, Our Vic and Therealbandit! Hourigan, however, refused to be drawn on the subject, although there seems little doubt he would dearly love to see the Murphy-Beef Or Salmon partnership remain intact. “I’ll jump that hurdle when I get to it”, he said.
