Beef Or Salmon
Cheltenham Gold Cup, Cheltenham
All Time Great Lays
One of the highest-rated staying chasers of his era, Beef Or Salmon was never at his best at Cheltenham. Before he lined up as favourite for the 2006 Gold Cup, he had already won a total of 16 races, eight of them Grade 1 chases, but he had never even looked like winning a Cheltenham Gold Cup in three attempts.
His first visit to Prestbury Park was as a mere novice in 2003 when, winner of the Ericsson Chase and the Hennessy at Leopardstown, as 5-1 second favourite behind Best Mate, he fell at the third fence. He returned a year later, but got outpaced when they quickened up down the far side before running on like a lion to take fourth spot. Although he finished less than four lengths behind the winner, again Best Mate, he was never really in the race with a chance of winning it. His third visit was in 2005 when, as the 5-1 joint third favourite, he never travelled and was tailed off when pulled up before the second last.
It was somewhat surprising, therefore, that Michael Hourigan’s gelding was made favourite for the Gold Cup in 2006 at the age of 10. Perhaps it was his lead in to Cheltenham that encouraged the punters this time, his win in the Lexus Chase (the all-new Ericsson) at Leopardstown the previous December and his demolition of Hedgehunter in the Hennessy back over the same course and distance in February. But both of those races were at Leopardstown, where Salmon excelled, and on the soft ground on which he thrived. Cheltenham in March is a whole different ball game.
Leopardstown and Cheltenham are both left-handed tracks, but there the similarities end. At Leopardstown, you gallop straight down the back straight, jump a straight line of six fences that you can see from a mile off and measure your stride accordingly, turn around and gallop straight up the home straight. At Cheltenham you are turning to your left all the while, galloping up and down hills and negotiating sporadic obstacles that seem to be intent on knocking you out of your stride. Combine that with good or fast ground, and you have a completely different challenge. It was one that never suited Beef Or Salmon.
The Cajetano gelding was never really travelling in the 2006 Gold Cup. He clambered over the second fence and struggled thereafter. He did make some headway from the rear as they headed down the back straight for the final time, but when they quickened the pace on the good ground, he couldn’t stay with them, and he eventually came home 11th of the 22 runners, some 20 lengths behind the winner, compatriot War Of Attrition.
Was Colin Montgomerie any less a golfer because he never won a major? Was Jimmy White any less a snooker player because he never won a world championship? Bar a glaring omission from their respective cvs, it didn’t detract from the fact that they were among the best of their era. So it is with Beef Or Salmon. No Gold Cup on his list of achievements, but still one of the best staying steeplechasers of recent times.
