O’Grady’s late change of mind pays dividends

BACK to the scene of his narrow and controversial defeat by Captain Cee Bee in July, the Edward O’Grady trained The Real Article proved an impressive winner of the Grade 3 Friends Of Tipperary Hurdle at Tipperary yesterday.

The Barry Geraghty-ridden six-year-old landed a substantial gamble — from 5/1 to 11/4 favouritism — and pulverised his rivals from the second last, storming clear to beat Luska Lad, a major market drifter from 11/8 to 3/1, by eight lengths, with Donnas Palm a neck away third.

“That’s as soft as he’d like it,” admitted trainer O’Grady. “I had decided late last night not to run him, because of the bad forecast. But I walked the course at 8.15. this morning, missing the first half of the match, and found it wasn’t as bad as I expected. So I decided to let him take his chance.”