Heart-warming farewell to Beef Or Salmon

AS a standing dish on the National Hunt scene in these islands for seven years now, and as one of the most successful horses of his generation, it was only fitting Beef Or Salmon received an emotional and heart-warming farewell in the wake of his final run in the Guinness Gold Cup here yesterday.

He may have only finished sixth in the race, but that was irrelevant to his connections, including owners Joe Craig and Dan McLernon, trainer Michael Hourigan and, perhaps most importantly, Michael’s daughter Kay who has been Beef Or Salmon’s devoted servant throughout his racing life.

Her tears as she led him in for the last time were palpable evidence of the collective relief of those associated with this amazing horse as he came through this final test of his career completely unscathed.