Hourigan's grounds for pessimism

What had looked like being the highlight of the Punchestown Festival was yesterday threatening to turn into a damp squib over the state of the ground.Michael Hourigan will look at the track ahead of today's €160,000 Heineken Gold Cup but said last evening that the ante-post favourite Beef Or Salmon is almost certain not to run.

"I have too much to lose," insisted the trainer who emphatically disagreed with the official going description of "good to yielding".

Hourigan declared: "The people who know are the people who ride on it and all the jockeys say the ground is on the fast side of good. I have asked Joe Collins (clerk of the course) to water but he says he won't. He says there is some rain forecast but even a downpour won't get into that in time."

Doubts were also raised about the participation of Harbour Pilot and Rince Rí. Harbour Pilot's trainer Noel Meade said: "He will need all the rain we can get. If it dries up he won't run."

The top rider Mick Fitzgerald has been booked to ride Rince Rí but he summed up most of the jockeys opinion about the going when he said: "It's good ground, on the quick side. There is no yielding in it."

Joe Collins, however, stood by the official description and stated: "We can't water tonight because if we do, and it rains heavily, we could put the meeting in jeopardy. And, if that happened, we would be hung out to dry."

The Punchestown chairman Michael Osborne added: "I absolutely guarantee the ground is good to yielding. We have checked the four spots we always check and it's on the yielding side."

The weather forecast for last night and this morning is for "unsettled" weather but the Punchestown director of racing Richie Galway conceded: "We haven't been getting the rain the forecasters tell us we will." There were some showers during the afternoon yesterday but whether that will be enough to persuade Hourigan into running Beef Or Salmon must be doubtful.

Instead the focus could end up on the revitalised First Gold who will be the first French-trained runner at the festival. Wearing blinkers for just the second time, the Francois Doumen star will be fancied by many to emulate a sparkling success at Liverpool.

A truly international race also includes Young Spartacus and Hussard Collonges from Britain but there will be plenty of interest in the local hope Native Upmanship.

The multiple Grade One winner is a true star over two and a half miles but remains winless at the three-mile trip.

The Paddy Power Champion Bumper is the other Grade One pot on offer and that also presents a fascinating poser with several top performers from last season meeting this year's crop.

Kickham reverted to the flat to finish runner-up to Beef Or Salmon at the Curragh but the likely market leader will probably be Royal Alphabet.

The Willie Mullins horse bounced back to form at Fairyhouse and takes in today's race before a summer campaign on the flat. His latent speed could be crucial in this context.

Last year's Bumper winner Supreme Developer has had a comparatively underwhelming season of hurdling but decent ground makes a difference to him and he will get that in today's opener.

Sheltering tries to go one better than Elegant Lord (1994-96) by scoring in the Champion Hunters Chase for a fourth year in a row.

The Edward O'Grady horse comes here on the back of a fall at Liverpool and an eighth placing at Cheltenham but the going could also be the crucial factor with him. Kadoun is on a four in a row himself in the novice handicap chase and even with 11-2, should still go close.

Oliver Brady could have the winners enclosure as his stage if Eagles High lands the conditions hurdle and the four-year-old will appreciate this company more than the Lincoln last time out.