Alner is back on Gold Cup trail

And Dorset trainer Robert Alner, who has already gone agonisingly close to beating the champion once, is keen to have another crack when Sir Rembrandt heads to Exeter on 19 November.

Sir Rembrandt was a 33-1 chance when running Best Mate to half a length at Cheltenham, but there was no fluke about that performance and Alner reports that the eight-year-old is "coming along very well" as his workload is stepped up.

"Sir Rembrandt is pleasing me with his progress and everything is now geared towards the new race at Exeter," he added.

However, Alner is planning a more patient policy with his other star chaser Kingscliff, who was regarded as the most serious threat to Best Mate's Gold Cup hopes until a recurrence of muscle problems at Haydock in January saw him retired for the season.

"Kingscliff is going to be given a select campaign with the Gold Cup very much the target," added Alner. "He wouldn't be as straight as Sir Rembrandt and I doubt he will be out again until just this side of Christmas."

Timmy Murphy is another hoping that Best Mate can be dethroned next March and is looking forward to getting back aboard the leading Irish chaser Beef Or Salmon at Limerick on Sunday.

Last year's strong-finishing Gold Cup fourth was also entered to take on Kicking King and Nil Desperandum in tomorrow's National Lottery Agent Champion Chase at Gowran Park.

However, Beef Or Salmon's trainer Michael Hourigan has opted to stick to his original plan of carrying topweight in Sunday's Anglo Irish Bank Munster National instead.

"He will be giving two stone to good horses, but he has to start somewhere and running at Limerick will give the local crowds a chance to see him," said Hourigan.

Murphy added: "If Best Mate only produces the sort of form he showed in last season's Gold Cup then he can be beaten.

"We rode Beef Or Salmon cautiously in the Gold Cup, but he was the only one finishing his race and showed he was back to his best with an easy win at Punchestown after that.

"His back problems seem sorted and, although I haven't been over to ride him lately, I know Michael thinks he's in great form."

Meanwhile, Barbury Castle trainer Alan King has resigned himself to a season minus one of his stable stars with the news that Fork Lightning is on the injured list.

The grey gave King his first Cheltenham Festival success by landing the William Hill Chase last March but suffered a setback during the summer which will need time to rectify.

King said: "We will assess the situation in December and see if he can come back into training, but the likelihood is that we won't see him again until this time next year."