RACING/News: The Cheltenham Gold Cup second favourite Beef Or Salmon completed his last serious piece of work in flying style yesterday.
Working alongside the Christie's Foxhunter-bound Dorans Pride, Beef Or Salmon worked a mile and five furlongs at the Michael Hourigan yard.
Afterwards the trainer expressed satisfaction and said: "They both went well and I'm pleased with them."
Hourigan already has two festival victories to his credit - Dorans Pride in the 1995 Stayers Hurdle and Deejaydee in the 1999 National Hunt Chase - and will be four-handed next week.
As well as Beef Or Salmon and Dorans Pride, he sends Clonmel Minella for the National Hunt Chase and Hi Cloy for the SunAlliance Hurdle.
"They will leave here at about 4.00 on Monday morning and it takes 12 hours from door-to-door by the time they're in Cheltenham," Hourigan said.
Timmy Murphy will be on both Beef Or Salmon and Hi Cloy but the jockey remains a 25 to 1 outsider to be the leading rider at the festival.
Tony McCoy is a 9 to 4 market leader with Paddy Power for that particular race but the money this week has been for Norman Williamson who has been cut from 7 to 1 to 5 to 1.
Williamson's main employer, Edward O'Grady, is the market mover in the leading trainer market and is now a 16 to 1 shot from 33 to 1. Jonjo O'Neill remains a hot favourite at 5 to 4.
Williamson will be in action at Thurles eight-race card today and could hit the mark on the Limerick runner-up Paddys Girl in the second division of the maiden hurdle.
Another Limerick runner-up, Gerry Strange, looks the answer to the first leg based on a head second to Rob The Five.
Jim Dreaper's string are starting to return to winning form and it will be fascinating to see how Valleya goes in the opening maiden hurdle.
Tony Martin's Soundz Of Muzic started a 4-1 favourite at Fairyhouse last Saturday but ultimately wasn't sighted behind the winner Alphazar. Paul Carberry's mount looks to be worth another shout in the two-mile handicap hurdle however.
