Beef or Salmon

Beef or Salmon

Beef or Salmon at the Irish National Stud in 2013.
Sire Cajetano
Grandsire Run The Gantlet
Dam Farinella
Damsire Salmon Leap
Sex Gelding
Foaled 1996
Country Ireland
Colour Chestnut
Breeder John Murphy
Owner B J Craig
Trainer Michael Hourigan
Record 51: 19-9-6
Earnings £985,658
Major wins
Clonmel Oil Chase (2002)
Hilly Way Chase (2002, 2003)
Lexus Chase (2002, 2004, 2005)
Hennessy Gold Cup (2003, 2006, 2007)
JNwine.com Champion Chase (2004, 2006)
John Durkan Memorial Chase (2003)
Punchestown Gold Cup (2004)

Beef or Salmon was a multiple Grade 1 winning National Hunt racehorse. He was trained in Ireland by Michael Hourigan and owned by B J Craig. He was most famous for defeating three Cheltenham Gold Cup winners in Best Mate, Kicking King, and War of Attrition and also for his defeat of the 2005 Grand National winner, Hedgehunter.

Early career

Beef or Salmon made his racecourse debut in May 2001 at Fairyhouse, where he finished third in the Goffs Land Rover Bumper. He did not race again till November 2001, where he won a National Hunt flat race at Clonmel, before finishing second at Fairyhouse. Beef or Salmon went on to run seven more times that season, winning twice.

2002/03 season

He made a winning seasonal reappearance in October at Galway and following that won the Clonmel Oil Chase[1] and the Hilly Way Chase.[2] He followed that up with two wins at the highest level in the Lexus Chase[3] and Irish Hennessy Chase.[4] He then went to the Cheltenham Festival, where he contested the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Beef or Salmon fell as Best Mate won. He ended the season with victory in April in a Flat race at the Curragh.

2003/04 season

He started the 2003/04 season a beaten odds on favourite as he finished third behind Edredon Bleu in the Clonmel Oil Chase. In his next two starts, he won the John Durkan Memorial Chase[5] and the Hilly Way Chase.[6] December 2003 saw Beef or Salmon come up against Best Mate again, and Best Mate won with Beef or Salmon finishing third. His next run saw him cross the shores again, and he finished fourth behind Best Mate in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He ended the season on a winning note as he took the Punchestown Gold Cup.[7]

2004/05 season

To begin the 2004/05 season, Beef or Salmon won the JNwine.com Champion Chase.[8] He could only finish third on his next start though, behind Kicking King in the John Durkan Memorial Chase. In his next start, he beat Best Mate in the Lexus Chase.[9] Then he finished second behind Rule Supreme in the Irish Hennessy Chase, before being pulled up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which was won by Kicking King.

2005/06 season

Beef or Salmon started the season with a spin on the Flat and finished ninth in the Irish Cesarewitch in October before he came to Haydock and finished second behind Kingscliff in the Betfair Chase. He then won the Lexus Chase[10] and the Irish Hennessy Chase, beating Hedgehunter by twelve lengths in the latter race.[11] These wins saw Beef or Salmon start off the 4/1 favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but he finished 11th behind War Of Attrition. He then unseated his rider, Paul Carberry, in the Totesport Bowl at Aintree before finishing third in a hurdle race at Fairyhouse. In his final race of the season, Beef or Salmon finished second behind War Of Attrition in the Punchestown Gold Cup.

Final two seasons

His final two seasons saw Beef or Salmon run in the top races in England and Ireland, and he recorded three wins. He won the JNwine.com Champion Chase again,[12] and also recorded a final victory in the Irish Hennessy Chase, beating The Listener.[13] He was retired after running in the 2008 Punchestown Gold Cup.

References

  1. ↑ "Results from the 1.45 race at CLONMEL (IRE) - 24 November 2002". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  2. ↑ "Results from the 1.50 race at CORK (IRE) - 15 December 2002". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  3. ↑ "Results from the 2.40 race at LEOPARDSTOWN (IRE) - 28 December 2002". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  4. ↑ "Results from the 3.40 race at LEOPARDSTOWN (IRE) - 9 February 2003". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  5. ↑ "Results from the 2.05 race at PUNCHESTOWN (IRE) - 7 December 2003". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  6. ↑ "Results from the 1.40 race at CORK (IRE) - 14 December 2003". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  7. ↑ "Results from the 3.50 race at PUNCHESTOWN (IRE) - 28 April 2004". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  8. ↑ "Results from the 2.35 race at DOWN ROYAL (IRE) - 6 November 2004". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  9. ↑ "Results from the 2.40 race at LEOPARDSTOWN (IRE) - 28 December 2004". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  10. ↑ "Results from the 2.35 race at LEOPARDSTOWN (IRE) - 28 December 2005". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  11. ↑ "Results from the 3.55 race at LEOPARDSTOWN (IRE) - 12 February 2006". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  12. ↑ "Results from the 2.40 race at DOWN ROYAL (IRE) - 4 November 2006". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  13. ↑ "Results from the 4.00 race at LEOPARDSTOWN (IRE) - 10 February 2007". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-07.