Striking gold is punters’ puzzle
Irish punters will not, therefore, have slept too easily last night, as our top challenger for today's feature, Beef Or Salmon, was joint market leader at 4/1 along with Strong Flow and Celestial Gold.
Michael Hourigan's nine-year-old has had his ups and downs this season, beating Best Mate in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown before being turned over by Rule Supreme at the same venue in the Hennessy.
Getting horses fit to Prestbury Park has been a major problem for many trainers Best Mate being the most notable example, along with the likes of Kingscliff and Farmer Jack and Hourigan has been no exception, particularly after the horse scoped badly after the Hennessy. Indeed his participation remained in doubt until an impressive gallop last Friday put some of the colour back in the trainer's cheeks.
But he now takes his place in today's main event as joint-favourite along with fellow Irish contenders Kicking King and Pizzaro.
Kicking King was another for whom there were considerable illness doubts to the point that his trainer Tom Taaffe withdrew him from the race. However, the King George winner got up off the canvas and takes his place, although there remains a doubt about his ability to get the Gold Cup trip.
Pizzaro has not shown any serious form this season and will definitely be a surprise winner, so the majority of Irish hopes will fall on the broad shoulders of Beef Or Salmon and his jockey Paul Carberry.
To many, Strong Flow looks like the better betting option and his trainer Paul Nicholls is certainly not putting punters off his horse.
"He only did a limited amount of fast work before the Aon Chase in Newbury when he split Celestial Gold and poor old Farmer Jack, but everything has gone smoothly since and we are looking for a big win," Nicholls reported last night.
"People have made a lot of the fact that Strong Flow has no experience of the Cheltenham fences, but his jumping is his strength and I have no worries on that score," Nicholls added.
For their part the Celestial Gold camp are bullish too after two major handicap wins this season and owner David Johnson last night described Martin Pipe's runner as "a cast iron each-way chance."
There will be plenty of interest too in Howard Johnson's Grey Abbey if he runs. The horse has had leg problems recently and Johnson is not convinced he is sound and says the horse will not run if the ground is too fast. "The more rain we get the better," he said.
It is truly an open contest making it more difficult for the punters.
