Beef or Salmon is a multiple Grade 1 winning

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

racehorse. He was trained in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Michael Hourigan Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

and owned by B J Craig And Dan McLarnon. He was most famous for defeating three

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

winners in

Best Mate Best Mate (28 January 1995 – 1 November 2005) was an Irish-bred, English-trained racehorse and three-time winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He was considered one of the most loved horses in the history of horse racing in the UK, with his ...

Kicking King Kicking King is a National Hunt racehorse trained in Straffan, Co. Kildare, Ireland, by Tom Taaffe. He is best known for his victory in the 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup, the major Chase run at the Cheltenham Festival. He also won the King George V ...

, and

War of Attrition The War of Attrition ( ar, حرب الاستنزاف, Ḥarb al-Istinzāf; he, מלחמת ההתשה, Milhemet haHatashah) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from ...

and also for his defeat of the 2005

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

winner,

Hedgehunter Hedgehunter (born 25 January 1996) is an Irish race horse, who won the 2005 Grand National steeplechase, ridden by Ruby Walsh and trained by Willie Mullins. He had fallen at the final fence the previous year when well placed. He then finished se ...

Background

Beef or Salmon is a chestnut horse bred in Ireland by John Murphy. He is 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 Oaks winner Keystone, making her a distant relative of

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and

Ballymoss Ballymoss (1954–1979) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career that lasted from 1956 until November 1958, he ran seventeen times and won eight races. In 1957, he became the first horse trained in Ireland to win the St Leger St ...

Early career

Beef or Salmon made his racecourse debut in May 2001 at

Fairyhouse Fairyhouse Racecourse is a horse racing venue in the Republic of Ireland. It is situated in the parish of Ratoath in County Meath, on the R155 road, R155 Regional road (Ireland), regional road, off the N3 road (Ireland), N3. It hosted its first ...

, 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 National Hunt flat races, informally known as bumper races, are a type of flat racing but run under National Hunt racing rules in Britain and Ireland. National Hunt flat races were created on 15 July 1891 when a conference between the stewards of ...

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 The Clonmel Oil Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Clonmel over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs (2 mile ...

and the

Hilly Way Chase The Hilly Way Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland. It is run at Cork Racecourse in December, over a distance of about 2 miles and half a furlong (2 miles and 160 yards, or 3,365 metres). The rac ...

. He followed that up with two wins at the highest level in the

Lexus Chase The Savills Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 3 miles (4,828 metres), and du ...

and Irish Hennessy Chase. He then went to the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Rac ...

, where he contested the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

. Beef or Salmon fell as

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 Edredon Bleu (26 April 1992 – 28 September 2018) was an AQPS National Hunt racehorse. He was bred in France but trained for most of his racing career in the United Kingdom. He was a specialist steeplechaser who recorded most of his wins o ...

in the

. In his next two starts, he won the

John Durkan Memorial Chase The John Durkan Memorial Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs {2 miles 4 furlongs and 40 yards, or 4,060 metres) at Punc ...

and the

. December 2003 saw Beef or Salmon come up against

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 The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

. He ended the season on a winning note as he took the

Punchestown Gold Cup The Punchestown Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 3 miles and ½ furlong (3 miles and 120 ya ...

2004/05 season

To begin the 2004/05 season, Beef or Salmon won the

JNwine.com Champion Chase The Ladbrokes Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Down Royal over a distance of about 3 miles (4,828 metres), and during its ru ...

. He could only finish third on his next start though, behind

in the

. In his next start, he beat

in the

. Then he finished second behind

Rule Supreme Rule Supreme (foaled 28 February 1996) is a retired, Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing. During a racing career which lasted from May 2001 until December 2009 he won eleven of his forty-six races (including Grade I ...

in the Irish Hennessy Chase, before being pulled up in the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

, 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 Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

in October before he came to Haydock and finished second behind Kingscliff in the

Betfair Chase The Betfair Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of about 3 miles and furlongs (3 miles 1 furlong ...

. He then won the

and the Irish Hennessy Chase, beating Hedgehunter by twelve lengths in the latter race. These wins saw Beef or Salmon start off the 4/1 favourite for the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

, but he finished 11th behind War Of Attrition. He then unseated his rider,

Paul Carberry Paul Carberry is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey. Background He was born on 9 February 1974.Totesport Bowl The Betway Bowl is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong (3 mi ...

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

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, and also recorded a final victory in the Irish Hennessy Chase, beating The Listener. He was retired after running in the 2008

Retirement

In retirement Beef or Salmon joined the living legends at the

Irish National Stud The Irish National Stud (official name: ''Comhlacht Graí Náisiúnta na hÉireann Teo.'') is a Thoroughbred horse breeding facility in Tully, Kildare, County Kildare, Ireland. It was formally established by incorporation on 11 April 1946 ...

. In 2020 the tourist attraction included Beef or Salmon,

Hardy Eustace Hardy Eustace is a retired thoroughbred racehorse, best known for winning the Champion Hurdle in 2004 and 2005. He was trained in Ireland by Dessie Hughes and owned by Laurence Byrne. Early career Hardy Eustace made his debut in a National Hun ...

Rite of Passage A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisation of ''rite ...

and

Hurricane Fly Hurricane Fly (foaled 5 April 2004) is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his performances in hurdle races when under the care of trainer Willie Mullins at Closutton in County Carlow in Ireland. He is a dual winner of the ...

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1996 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 2-u Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in Ireland National Hunt racehorses