MICHAEL Hourigan took a spin up the M7 this week to see his old friend Beef Or Salmon at the Irish National Stud.

The retired chaser is looking a picture at 26 years of age and enjoying life as a ‘living legend’ at the stud where he and Kicking King, Hardy Eustace, Media Puzzle, Hurricane Fly and Rite Of Passage get to interact with tourists.

This week’s reunion was organised to promote next weekend’s Northern Ireland Festival of Racing at Down Royal. Beef Or Salmon won the featured Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase twice - defeating Kicking King in 2004 and edging out the late War Of Attrition in 2006.

“He looks brilliant, he’s in the right place, he’s being well looked after,” Michael told Dave Keena in an interview conducted alongside the ‘Legends’ paddock.

Asked if 10-time Grade 1 winner ‘Beefy’ was the best he had trained, an emotional Michael said: “He was the classiest but I could never leave out Dorans Pride, who was the toughest. They were two opposites.”

Looking back on Beef Or Salmon’s Down Royal wins, the trainer recalled: “They were great days. His owners were from the north, so it was special for them. We might have won it a third time but there was a bomb scare one year.

“Heading to Down Royal you would have a lot running through your mind - is he fit enough, is the ground okay for him? But he went and beat Gold Cup horses in those races, and he did the same at Leopardstown. It’s just a pity he could never do it at Cheltenham but you couldn’t ask for any more from him. He was a licence to print money.”

Michael singled out the role played by his daughter Kay who put “endless hours” into keeping Beef Or Salmon sound and physio Liz Kent was a vital player too. Michael’s son Paul and daughter Laura also rode winners on the horse, so it’s fair to say he was practically a member of the family.

As much as Michael enjoyed seeing his old star this week, he had one confession: “Beef Or Salmon never really liked me. I always had to be careful when I went into his box, but he was the horse of a lifetime and I was really looking forward to seeing him again today.”