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	30 April 1996
Country	Ireland
Colour	Chestnut
Breeder	John Murphy
Owner	B J Craig, D McLarnon
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 And Dan McLarnon. 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.

Beef or Salmon was a chestnut horse bred in Ireland by John Murphy. He was the only horse of any consequence sired by Cajetano, an American-bred colt who had some success as a racehorse in Switzerland. Beef or Salmon's dam Farinella showed no racing ability, finishing unplaced on her only racecourse appearance. She was descended from the Epsom Oaks winner Keystone, making her a distant relative of Display and Ballymoss.

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.

He made a winning seasonal reappearance in October at Galway and following that won the Clonmel Oil Chase and the Hilly Way Chase. He followed that up with two wins at the highest level in the Lexus Chase and Irish Hennessy Chase. 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.