O'Grady Excited By Clopf

Edward O'Grady is hoping Clopf can compensate for missing the Cheltenham Festival by winning the vcbet.com Champion Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival next week.

The six-year-old emerged as a real contender for leading novice honours earlier in the season, but was surprisingly turned over by Hide The Evidence in the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse.

He subsequently met with a setback which forced him to miss the Prestbury Park jamboree and reappeared with a stylish victory on the level last week.

'During Cheltenham I read an article that Barry Geraghty had written and he said that he was the best horse he had ridden since Moscow Flyer ? he has hasn't said that to me mind you!' said O'Grady.

'He was very impressed with him in his first couple of races and I don't know what happened at Fairyhouse, I don't know if it was the wind or what that upset him and we were obviously disappointed that he got beat, but it was an extraordinary day.

'Racing was cancelled straight after that race because of gale-force winds.

'After that we had little minor problems with him and he wasn't 100% sound. In fact he was sound in January but then he got a little ?leg' in behind and sadly we had to miss Cheltenham,' he told At The Races.

'We ran him back the other day on the Flat, we didn't fancy him that much, but he won well at Tipperary and he won like a real good one.'

(C) PA Sport