BEST OF THE REST/Swan's Experience to tell: Beef Or Salmon could well find himself being carried to the Gold Cup start on a tidal wave of Irish goodwill after the first two races.
Limestone Lad will bring the house down if he finally manages to lift the Bonusprint Stayers Hurdle crown, and Golden Cross looks the best of the Irish quintet in the JCB Triumph Hurdle.
Last year the visitors filled five of the first six places in the Triumph and it was Charlie Swan who led them home on Scolardy. The former champion knows what is required and that is boosting trainer Michael Halford.
"I'm encouraged by Charlie's high opinion of Golden Cross. It makes me think there might be more there because he is a horse that doesn't show much at home," said the Curragh trainer yesterday.
It wouldn't take much improvement to see Golden Cross with a winning shout anyway. He was slightly short when edged out by Mutineer at Leopardstown and then trotted up at Fairyhouse.
As a winner of a 21-runner flat handicap, the big field should not be a problem and Swan's experience - he is on a Triumph hat-trick - can only help.
Fears of fast ground have not materialised for Limestone Lad, and his greatest problem now looks to be the hold up he had for that six-day cough. He is a horse that puts on condition quickly, but the Bowes are happy he is in good shape.
Baracouda is the obvious danger, but the novice Iris's Gift is an unknown factor, and the same applies to the unbeaten SunAlliance winner Galileo.
Seven Irish runners go in the Christie's Foxhunters, including the veteran Dorans Pride who has ground to make up on his Leopardstown conqueror Sheltering.
The O'Grady runner appears a better horse right handed, however, and anyway the lot of them will do well to cope with the English favourite Kingscliff.
Palarshan, a course winner over hurdles, trotted up at Leicester last time and lurks at the bottom of the Grand Annual Handicap. The Daly runner could be a bet.
The ground might not be soft enough for Le Coudray in the Catchcart, while La Landiere has had a hard season, so the answer to the race looks to be Martin Pipe's Grade One winner Tarxien.
In the traditional "getting out stakes", the Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle, the Peter O'Sullevan-owned Never could go well despite a big weight.
