Racing/News: Tom Taaffe insisted yesterday he has no regrets about skipping Sunday week's Hennessy Gold Cup with his King George VI Chase hero Kicking King.
Immediately after that dramatic Kempton success the Straffan trainer ruled out a pre-Cheltenham warm-up in the Leopardstown feature and nothing has happened since to prompt a change of heart.
Nevertheless a total of just 10 horses remain in the Hennessy and of those the English pair Strong Flow and Chives are highly unlikely to take part.
That leaves the 2003 winner Beef Or Salmon in a seemingly dominant position to follow up his Lexus success at Christmas and Cashmans make the Michael Hourigan trained horse as short as 1 to 2 favourite.
However, there is no sense of a lost opportunity among the Kicking King team as they continue their build up to the Cheltenham festival.
"There are absolutely no regrets," Taaffe said.
"He is only six years old, rising seven, and we want to get him to Cheltenham in March in the best possible shape we can. Running him on very deep ground wouldn't help us. The Hennessy was never part of our plan, for this year at least, and that is still the case."
Kicking King had an easy time of it in the immediate aftermath of his King George victory but he will be back in complete full work from next week on. At the moment he is giving his trainer all the right signals.
"He is 100 per cent and there are no problems," Taaffe added. "He has had four runs so far this season which is enough. I'd pencilled in three races and he only ran in the fourth because he was so well, so three out of four is not bad."
Taaffe also said it will be the end of February before he makes a final call on whether or not Kicking King will run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup or go instead for the Daily Telegraph Chase over two and a half miles instead.
"Obviously the ground will be a major determining factor. If it is genuinely good, as it usually is at Cheltenham, and no other wild cards show up in the meantime, we would probably go for the big race. But at the moment we are leaving all options open," he said.
Beef Or Salmon received a "couldn't be better" update from his trainer Michael Hourigan yesterday and remains firmly on course for the Hennessy.
"He went to the sea this morning and had a walk in the water so he was delighted with himself," said Hourigan who said it will be late next week before a decision on who will ride Beef Or Salmon at Leopardstown will be made.
Paul Carberry successfully stepped in for regular rider Timmy Murphy in the Lexus and could keep the ride with Murphy committed to ride owner David Johnston's horses.
Hourigan has also not made a firm decision on whether or not Hi Cloy will take on Moscow Flyer in Sunday's Byrne Group Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown although the track authorities will probably want him to.
Cashmans started betting on the race yesterday and have installed Moscow Flyer as a raging 1 to6 favourite with Hi Cloy at 6 to 1.
It's then 20 to 1 the rest with other entries like Central House and Native Upmanship engaged at Thurles today.
"Hi Cloy worked well enough this morning and he has to run somewhere but I'm just not 100 per cent sure yet," said Hourigan.
BETTING: (Cashmans): 1-2 Beef Or Salmon, 9-2 Pizarro, 6 Rule Supreme, 10 Murphy's Cardinal, 16 Cloudy Bays, 50 Jack High, 100 Doodle Addle and Hersov.
