Trainer Terence O'Brien is still hopeful of getting Articulum to the Grade One Attheraces.com Champion INH. Flat Race at the Punchestown Festival on April 27 - in spite of the fact that preparations have not gone seamlessly.

A point-to-point and a dual bumper scorer, Articulum really announced his arrival with his comfortable dismissal of the opposition at Limerick in the middle of last month.

However, O'Brien said: "He got a cut, and he's been on the injured list since, but we're still hopeful we'll get there.

"It's only a flesh wound but unfortunately it's on a bad place. Hopefully we'll get to ride him out again in the next couple of days.

"It's far from ideal. We'd backed off him after winning and we were only starting to build up his work again."

O'Brien is realistic about the task facing Articulum if he does make it to Punchestown.

The Cork handler said: "It'll be a hot race with the likes of Moon Racer supposed to be coming over.

"If our fella didn't make Punchestown and the ground was still OK in the first week of May, he might get a run over hurdles before he'd be put away.

"The likes of Killarney is there for him, and I think there's another Punchestown meeting there early in May as well.

"That'd be all down to ground. He wouldn't be going anywhere unless it was safe."