Beef Or Salmon will attempt to secure a third success in Leopardstown's Christmas feature, the Lexus Chase, after rejuvenating his Cheltenham Gold Cup claims at Haydock last weekend.

Only Kingscliff finished ahead of the Michael Hourigan-trained horse in the star-laden Betfair Chase, and Beef Or Salmon's connections are confident there is much better to come.

"Without a doubt he will come on a lot for that race," Hourigan said yesterday. "Paul Carberry certainly thinks so. If I could have got a run into him on the flat at Leopardstown then things might even have been better. As it is he ran a great race and has come out of it A1."

In the immediate aftermath of Saturday's race, the King George VI Chase and another clash with Kingscliff and Kicking King was mooted. However, the home Christmas option in the Lexus Chase now looks like being favourite.

"The King George is being run at Sandown this year which is the right place for us. But I'd still say the Lexus is more likely. We've travelled once already now and the job is done," Hourigan declared.

Beef Or Salmon handed a seven-length defeat to Best Mate in the Lexus last year and also announced his arrival in the big time in the same race in 2002 when it was known as the Ericsson. In between, the horse was third to Best Mate.

Beef Or Salmon's Gold Cup claims had been widely dismissed before his encouraging comeback at Haydock, something that didn't please his trainer.

"Some people might have lost faith but I never have," he argued.

"All my horses were sick last year. I saw he was being written off at 25 to 1, but that only shows some people are off their heads!"

The Ladbrokes reaction to the Betfair Chase was to slash Beef Or Salmon's Gold Cup price to 14 to 1, and that will be put to the test in the Lexus next.

"There's nothing else in between. I deliberately didn't put him in the Durkan because I don't want to run him in that," Hourigan added, before reporting that his smart novice hurdler Mossbank also won't be seen until Christmas too. Mossbank drifted to 20 to 1 in the SunAlliance Hurdle market after losing to Laetitia at Cork on Saturday.

However, Hourigan said: "The winner is a very good filly and the ground was very heavy in Mallow. I know my horse got beat, but he was giving 8lb and as far I'm concerned he lost nothing in defeat."

Dermot Weld finished the 2005 flat campaign having saddled the most winners in Ireland with a final tally of 64.

The Curragh trainer said yesterday he will have a team of just five horses for the National Hunt season, headed by the Listed flat winner and smart hurdler Queen Astrid. "Queen Astrid is the lead player and she will go novice chasing," Weld said yesterday.

"She will probably start off at Leopardstown over Christmas or somewhere in the New Year."

A total of 16 horses remain in Sunday's William Hill in Ireland Troytown Chase at Navan, headed by last year's winner Jack High, who subsequently added the Betfred Gold Cup at Sandown.

As a result, Jack High is 25lb higher in the ratings compared to last year and the Ted Walsh- trained horse is also a 25 to 1 outsider for Saturday's Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury.

Also in the Troytown are the Grade One-winning mare Mariah Rollins and the Munster National hero Star Clipper.

Seventeen remain in the Grade Three Monksfield Novice Hurdle after yesterday's forfeit stage, including the Noel Meade-trained pair, Nicanor and Mr Nosie. The highly rated bumper performer Travino has also been left in by his trainer, Margaret Mullins.

Meade has reported that the Bula Hurdle at Cheltenham next month is a possible target for Harchibald, and confirmed that the star hurdler will not try for a repeat success in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle this weekend.

"The Bula has to come into consideration and over Christmas I would favour Leopardstown to Sandown," Meade said. A Bula attempt would set up a possible clash with the rising young star of Irish hurdling, Feathard Lady, who is being lined up for a tilt at the same race on December 10th.

Paul Carberry has lodged an appeal against the three-day ban he picked up for his controversial ride on Harchibald at Punchestown on Sunday. The careless riding suspension rules him out of the big Fairyhouse meeting on Saturday and Sunday week.