Irish weekend preview: A post-racing gallop at Thurles on Thursday evening may have been staged in semi darkness, but Michael Hourigan saw enough to satisfy himself that Beef Or Salmon, who suffered an over-reach at Down Royal a month ago, could after all be allowed to take his chance tomorrow when he will be attempting to win the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase for the second successive year.
Twelve months ago Martin Pipe and Tony McCoy took him on in this Grade One event with Tiutchev but Beef Or Salmon comfortably put his challenge away by three and a half lengths. This time around no English raider has been tempted to have a go against a home-trained field of eight that also includes a previous double winner of the race Native Upmanship, a twice Cheltenham Gold Cup placed Harbour Pilot and a 2004 Arkle Trophy Chase runner-up Kicking King.
The years appear to have overtaken Native Upmanship at this level at any rate while Harbour Pilot, who took third place off Beef Or Salmon in March, was himself relegated to fourth place by Michael Hourigan's star at Down Royal.
This was in the James Nicholson Wine Merchant Champion Chase where the finish was fought out between Beef Or Salmon and Kicking King. In terms of jumping on the day the points decision would have indisputably gone to Kicking King but the superior stamina of Beef Or Salmon decided the issue by three and a half lengths, a verdict to which he seems partial.
The fact that Cloudy Bays was only another three lengths away third left a question mark against the precise value of the second-placed Kicking King. He will surely be more effective though over this half mile shorter trip and if by chance there is any weakness in the favourite his fast slick jumping will exploit it.
The big attraction on the back-up card will be the hurdles debut of Martinstown (1.10). All last winter he was a prime talking horse for the National Hunt Festival and if he let his ante-post backers down with a bump in the bumper, he can still redeem his reputation now that he goes hurdling.
It is ironic that in a week that saw Bewleys close down its Dublin city centre cafes, the name should appear in the race title of the final race tomorrow. An even more bitter twist for those who on Tuesday came to Grafton Street to mourn its departure the likely favourite and probable winner is a mare called Lovely Present.
JP McManus, Mouse Morris and Conor O'Dwyer could share a chase double at Gowran Park this afternoon with Fota Island (2.30) and Keepatem (3.00). Although a smart novice hurdler, one could not describe Fota Island as a natural jumper of fences but he has improved with practice and finally secured a decisive win over Zum See at Navan.
His stablemate, Keeptaem, will eventually make his name as a three-miler, but in a 0-116 handicap it could be within his capacity to win at 2m 2f.
Noleens Moon, trained in Co Wexford by Philip Rothwell, is one of only three previous three-mile hurdle winners lining up over that distance in the Farmers Market at Gowran Park. She can complete the hat-trick.
