RACING: Beef Or Salmon could be forced to wait another month before getting the chance to race again.

The 10 to 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup second favourite has been on the boil for some time but a first start of the winter has been continually postponed due to very unseasonable ground conditions.

That frustrating pattern looks like continuing this weekend and now trainer Michael Hourigan is to consider delaying the horse's reappearance until next month's John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown.

Beef Or Salmon is in both the November Handicap at Leopardstown and Down Royal's James Nicholson Wine Merchants Champion Chase on Saturday.

But yesterday Hourigan said: "I've heard they've had no rain in the north so I might go to Leopardstown to see the ground there for myself. I want safe ground but if I can't get it I might have to wait for Clonmel or the Durkan Chase. Only the weather is beating us, the horse is fine."

Unfortunately fine was also the weather description at Down Royal yesterday, much to the annoyance of manager Mike Todd. "It has been a freak autumn. Rain has been forecast since last Thursday and we haven't had a drop of it. It is 16 degrees here today, breezy and warm. It's doing my head in.

"We have been watering constantly but no matter how much we put on we can't beat nature. The forecasters are predicting half an inch of rain tonight which would make a significant difference to the track. But the forecasters haven't been right yet," he said.

The going at Down Royal already appears to have ruled out the Ferdy Murphy-trained Gold Cup runner-up Truckers Tavern but the Tony Mullins-trained Barrow Drive could take his chance in the Nicholson.

The ground at Leopardstown was described by racing manager Tom Burke yesterday as "good with some yielding parts on the back straight".

Moscow Flyer, however, remains on target to return to action in Sunday's Fortria Chase and his task should be easier with the news that his old rival Native Upmanship will miss the race.

Arthur Moore wants to give Native Upmanship, runner-up to Moscow Flyer in the Champion Chase last March, more time to come to himself.

News on the rapidly fading flat season centred on Aidan O'Brien's former Grand Criterium winner Hold That Tiger who has been retired from racing.

The $1.1 million Storm Cat colt will stand in Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Kentucky at a fee of $15,000. He will be joined at Ashford by the Group Two winner Van Nistelrooy whose fee is $7,500. That son of Storm Cat didn't race this year and has already started his stallion career in New Zealand.

Barry Geraghty can extend his seven-winner lead over Paul Carberry in the jumps jockeys table by winning the first three races at Thurles today.

Geraghty is on McGruders Cross, 15th behind Liberman at Cheltenham, in the opener and this rated horse should make a winning debut over hurdles.

Lance Toi can do the same in the next and Geraghty is on his old friend, and the vastly improving Emotional Moment in the first Beginners Chase.He looks a type to thrive over fences.

Carberry's best chance of a strike back looks to be with Adolphus in the handicap chase.