No beef on the menu at Gowran

Beef Or Salmon will miss Saturday’s National Lottery Agent Champion Chase at Gowran Park due to fast ground and will instead run on the Flat in the Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh a day later.

Michael Hourigan is hoping to give the nine-year-old his first start of the season in the Hackett’s Bookmakers-sponsored contest, although there needs to be give in the ground for him to line-up.

“He’s going to run on Sunday, provided it rains,” said a stable spokesperson.

“He was put in both races as a precaution, but he’s in good form and hopefully it will start him off for a good season.”

It will be Beef Or Salmon’s first outing since he was pulled-up in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup and was subsequently found to be suffering from an infection.

Central House will also miss the Gowran race after his trainer, Dessie Hughes, decided conditions would be too quick for the eight-year-old.

After walking the track, the Curragh-based handler said: “I won’t run him. I’ve just come back from there and the ground is good to firm.

“We’ll wait and see where we go now, maybe Punchestown later this month.

“If the ground came up soft for Cheltenham’s Open meeting I might bring him over for that – there’s a two-mile race there for him.

“He’s done well over the summer and he’s ready to run. He doesn’t take a lot of work and he’s in good form at the moment.”