Sports Desk: Irish race fans are pinning hopes on Beef or Salmon

The racing began Tuesday and finishes on Friday with the Gold Cup. Ever since Arkle’s famous win over Mill House in the Gold Cup in 1964, Irish punters have been fascinated with Cheltenham and each year the numbers traveling to England continues to grow.
This year, the Irish have a special interest in the Gold Cup with Beef or Salmon, who is among the favorites. Trained in County Limerick by Michael Hourigan, Beef or Salmon beat three-time Gold Cup winner Best Mate at Leopardstown’s Christmas festival. But Best Mate, who was ridden by Kerry-born jockey Jim Culloty in his three Gold Cup wins, will not be bidding for four in a row as he was pulled out after breaking a blood vessel in training last week.
Meanwhile, Tom Taaffe’s Kicking King, who looked like he was a non-runner two weeks ago, after having picked up a virus, is now back in the race, having made a full recovery. Kicking King was impressive when winning the King George VI Chase at Kempton at Christmas and was second favorite for the Gold Cup prior to his illness.

BUSY DAY AT CROKER
While the debate continues over whether the GAA should open Croke Park to other sports, the famous Jones Road venue will reopen for Gaelic Games on St Patrick’s Day for the AIB All-Ireland club finals. The stadium has been closed for all games since the second International Rules test against Australia on Oct. 24 last year. So if you are coming to Ireland to march in the big Dublin St. Patrick’s Day parade, you could grab a bit more Irish culture by making your way from the city center to Croker. Normally the parade finishes on the northside, a few minutes walk from Croke Park, but this year the parade starts on the northside of the city.
The action gets under way at Croke Park at 2 p.m. with the hurling final between Athenry from Galway and Kilkenny and Leinster champions James Stephens. Athenry, who are bidding to equal Birr’s record of four wins, will be without their powerful fullback Diarmuid Cloonan, who picked up a three-month ban after being sent off in the semifinal win over Toomevara.
In the football final, at 3:40 p.m., Ballina Stephenites, the only one of the four clubs in action tomorrow never to have won the club final, play Portlaoise, winners in 1983.
Regulars at Croke Park will notice a few changes tomorrow. The revamped Hill 16 will be open for the first time and the dugouts have been moved from the Hogan Stand back to the Cusack Stand side of the ground.

MUNSTER’S CULLEN HURT
Munster have suffered a big blow ahead of the Heineken Cup quarterfinal away to Biarritz on April 3. Fullback Christian Cullen tore ligaments in his shoulder in a recent Celtic League game against Cardiff and will be out for up to six months. This a huge blow to a Munster side who are rapidly approaching their sell-by date.
Morale in the camp cannot be great following the recent announcement that coach Alan Gaffney is due to return to Australia at the end of the season. Now Cullen, one of their most exciting attackers, is ruled out of the quarterfinal. The former All Black’s time with Munster has been plagued by injury. He missed most of his debut season with the province after a similar shoulder injury which required surgery in November 2003.

McKENNA FOR LIMERICK
Joe McKenna is the new Limerick hurling manager. The former intercounty full forward was a selector under Offalyman Pad Joe Whelahan, who quit after two League defeats. McKenna will work with selectors Declan Nash and Liam Lenihan.
There had been speculation that former Clare manager Ger Loughnane would take over in Limerick. Last week, Loughnane said he is coming back, but not until 2006, when he will take over a club or county team.
“Having had an extended break from the dugout my appetite for management has returned,” he said. “I see a great challenge in the way the game has changed, so much especially with the new Cork style of play. I would love the challenge of coming up with a formula to counteract that style.”
There has been much less media attention in Wicklow, where former Wexford dual player Willie Carley has taken over as senior hurling manager following the departure some time back of Mick Neary.

DUBLIN DEFECTIONS GROW
The number of hurlers defecting from the Dublin senior hurling panel continues to grow. Ronan Fallon, who also plays for the county’s Under 21 football team, is the latest to opt out of Humphrey Kelleher’s squad. Already dual players Shane Ryan, Liam Og O hEineachain, Conal Keaney and David O’Callaghan have all opted to play football rather than hurling for The Dubs.
Meanwhile, Armagh have lost star forward Diarmuid Marsden. The 30-year-old said that he was quitting the intercounty scene after 12 years.
“It’s not about age, but miles in the legs,” the Clann na Gael man said. “I had a few injuries in the mid- to late-’90s. They took their toll eventually. Although I am now injury-free, I couldn’t move for two or three days after a game.”

RYDER CUP TICKET UPDATE
Good news for anybody planning a trip to Ireland for next year’s Ryder Cup competition at the K Club in County Kildare. Of the 40,000 tickets that will be allocated each day, 6,000 will be going to Failte Ireland so that their in-bound carriers can offer packages into Ireland, 7,500 will be set aside for the corporate sector, and 3,500 have been reserved for North America.
That leaves 24,000 tickets per day that will be available to the public, but they won’t all be going to Ireland. A four-day ticket will cost