Beef Or Salmon - main Irish challenge (Getty Images).
BEEF HAS BEST CHANCE FOR GOLD
By Alan Sweetman
Beef Or Salmon achieved his widely-anticipated victory in Sunday's Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown to cement his position as the leading Irish challenger for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Previously successful in the race as a novice in 2003, the Michael Hourigan-trained ten-year-old gave his supporters a brief scare with a bad mistake at the fifth-last but quickly recovered and eventually did not have a hard race in coming home twelve lengths clear of last season's Grand National winner Hedgehunter, his only serious rival in a race in which the general standard was a long way short of genuine Grade 1 standard. It remains questionable whether Beer Or Salmon can reproduce his best form at Cheltenham, but he clearly has his best chance yet in a season in which top-class staying chasers are in short supply. Hedgehunter, who attempted to make all, seemed to do enough to warrant a tilt at the race before heading back to Aintree. Sunday's other Grade 1 race over fences, the Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chase, was won in good style by The Railway Man, who will probably now be aimed by Arthur Moore at the Powers Gold Cup at the Easter Meeting at Fairyhouse. Looking towards Cheltenham, the horse to take from the race is Our Ben, who stayed on strongly from the last fence to take third place. He is bound to appreciate the longer trip of the Royal & SunAlliance Chase, a race that trainer Willie Mullins has won in the past with Florida Pearl and Rule Supreme. Mr Nosie booked his place alongside stablemate Nicanor in the line up for the Royal & SunAlliance Hurdle with a comfortable if not altogether fluent win in the Deloitte Novice Hurdle. The still-unbeaten gelding, who was slightly hampered by a loose horse at the fourth-last, took a while to get into full cry and did not leave as strong an impression as Nicanor at the venue two weeks earlier. While Noel Meade was unwilling to express a preference between the pair, it will be a surprise if Paul Carberry does not opt for Nicanor at Cheltenham. Meanwhile, Meade was also able to take comfort from the performance of the runner-up Royaldou whose form ties in with his Supreme Novices' candidate Sweet Wake. Mister Hight consolidated his position as the leading Irish-trained four-year-old hurdler with a decisive victory in the Cashmans Juvenile Hurdle. It was not a flawless performances in terms of hurdling technique, and he will need to jump more fluently in the hurly-burly of the Triumph, but he has a fine engine and has basically adapted well to his new career. However, his preference for soft ground is a worry in relation to Cheltenham. The Willie Mullins-trained newcomer Alexander Buffet failed to deliver on expectations in Sunday's bumper, but earlier in the week Ballytrim had given the stable another boost to its Cheltenham challenge with a smart display at Thurles. Admittedly he did not have a great deal to beat, but the style of the performance was certainly striking. In the long term he has the look of a staying chaser, but it is worth bearing in mind that the stable's previous winners of the Cheltenham bumper have included two, Florida Pearl and Missed That, who had much the same profile.
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