News: The beaten Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite Beef Or Salmon could get a quicker than expected chance to gain that elusive first British success of his career on the first day of the Liverpool Grand National Festival meeting next month.

Trainer Michael Hourigan revealed yesterday that Beef Or Salmon will probably run twice more this season and the first of them may be the Betfair Bowl at Aintree in two weeks' time.

"He is entered in that race, the Irish National at Fairyhouse and the Guinness Gold Cup at Punchestown. He will probably run in two of them," the Patrickswell, Co Limerick, trainer said.

"He would have top weight in the national but that would be 11st 10lb and it's only a 20 or 24lb handicap. That's very tempting. But at this stage I would say he will go to Liverpool instead and then go on to Punchestown," he added.

The Aintree race will come just 20 days after Beef Or Salmon struggled home a well beaten favourite behind War Of Attrition on his fourth attempt to win steeplechasing's blue riband at Cheltenham.

Hourigan admitted yesterday that that may be the horse's last attempt on the race as he doesn't look to enjoy racing at the track.

"It's quite possible he won't race there again. If I did think of the Gold Cup next year I would take him to Cheltenham for another race first, just to see how he got on. But it does look like he doesn't like it there. It's very frustrating but what can you do," he said.

"There shouldn't be a problem if we decide to run him at Liverpool because he didn't really have a race in the Gold Cup," Hourigan added.

"There have been no problems with him since then. He's A1." Apart from his fruitless attempts to win the Gold Cup, Beef Or Salmon's only other race in Britain came last November when runner-up to Kingscliff at Haydock.

Tony Martin's Cheltenham winner Dun Doire is a possible starter in the Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National if ground conditions are suitable and may be joined in the race by his stable companion Ross River.

"Both will be entered and both have come home from Cheltenham without a bother. But Dun Doire won't run unless it's on the dead side," said Martin.

There may be over six weeks to the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket but the Classic favourite George Washington has already been labelled a "superstar" by his jockey Kieren Fallon.

The former champion jockey has revealed that he has already ridden George Washington in a private workout at Leopardstown racecourse and Fallon reported: "He has done very well both physically and mentally over the close season. He worked with a bunch of stablemates and I was very happy with him. He is a real superstar."

John Oxx has confirmed Alayan is on course for Saturday's Dubai Sheema Classic at Nad Al Sheba where the colt will be joined by another Irish-trained hope, Jim Bolger's multiple Group One winner Alexander Goldrun.

Alayan, winner of the Leopardstown Guineas Trial last year, and runner-up in the Derrinstown, has already run twice in Dubai without success but is as low as 14 to 1 to overcome the favourite Ouija Board and the Canadian International winner Relaxed Gesture in the mile-and-a-half race.

Alayan and Alexander Goldrun are the sole Irish runners on the richest single card in world racing.