English based Paul Murphy is part-owner of Articulum; this unexposed son of Definite Article was an eye-catcher on Sunday afternoon at Leopardstown racecourse.
Would he have won the race if he stayed on his feet?
That’s debatable nevertheless the way he way traveling with 3lb jockey Kevin Brouder yet to raise his whip implied there was plenty left in the tank. His owner Murphy exclaimed; “He was travelling extremely well under a great ride from Kevin prior to falling at the second last, maybe we will now look at a race at Naas in three weeks’ time with a clear round of jumping he should go close. He is entered in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham; we will almost certainly look at one of the Handicap Chases on the same day as well”.
He then added; “He was bought cheaply as a 3-year-old store horse by Terence, he has been a magnificent servant for us. Our pride-and-joy Articulum is undoubtedly going to be a long shot at the Cheltenham festival but he merits his place in the starting line-up and could surprise a few”.
Articulum’s trainer Terence O’Brien added: “He has always showed us a lot at home, his wind caused him many difficulties in the past, we’ve done a bit of touching up and doctoring over the last year or two. He is a good horse on song and there is still plenty of fun to be had with him. At the time of writing Articulum is 66/1 for the Ryanair Chase;
