Racing News: Michael Hourigan has indicated that Beef Or Salmon will have his final pre-Cheltenham racecourse work-out tomorrow, but the trainer of Ireland's premier Gold Cup hope has also joined the first stirrings of unrest over the chances of fast ground at the festival.
With the going at Cheltenham currently described as "good to firm", and the track authorities waiting for the cold snap to end before starting to water, some trainers of fancied Irish horses are starting to voice concerns.
Solerina's trainer, Michael Bowe, is always concerned about any ground description that contains the word "firm", and this is no exception.
"I will go over to Cheltenham a couple of days before the race and walk the track. As long as it is safe, everything will be fine, but what I don't want is to dig my heel in and end up getting a pain in my leg. Nobody will want that hard jar," he said
"If the ground is too quick then I would have a lot of concerns, as would a lot of other people. It's up to the Cheltenham executive to have the ground safe," he added. "If they don't, they won't get the quality of horse the festival deserves.
"I'm trying to remain optimistic, and what we really need is a spell of rain. No matter how much watering you do, it doesn't do as good a job as some natural water."
Similar sentiments came from the Wexford trainer, Colm Murphy, who has a number of races to choose from for his star novice hurdler, Brave Inca.
"If the word 'firm' appears in the going, then he won't be running," Murphy said yesterday.
"It would be unbelievable if we couldn't get to Cheltenham, but it is not the be all and the end all. There are plenty of other options for him at Aintree, Fairyhouse and Punchestown, and he is a fresh horse," he added.
With 15 days to the Gold Cup, Hourigan is putting the finishing touches to Beef Or Salmon's preparation and plans to gallop the horse on the flat at Cork racecourse tomorrow. But he, too, has an eye cast towards the English ground conditions.
"They will have to water because they can't have it firm. If it is firm they won't get any runners," Hourigan said.
"I certainly wouldn't like it. When Mick Kinane rode Beef Or Salmon at the Curragh last April he said the horse wouldn't want it any faster than that.
"But I don't want to think any further than Cheltenham. You have to train for a day and this is the Olympics of the job. I'm happy with the horse and he is on track," he added.
If conditions allow, and Brave Inca makes it to the festival, then Colm Murphy will have to make a call on which race the horse will run in. He has a choice of both novice events and the Coral Cup, and Murphy is keen to leave a final decision as late as he can.
"A lot will depend on what race Inglis Drever runs in. If he runs in the Champion Hurdle, that would leave the SunAlliance more open. But then again, the two-mile race (Supreme Novices Hurdle) might not be as strong. I wouldn't be worried about running over two miles. He showed some serious pace in his bumpers," Murphy said.
