Dermot Weld’s promising novice hurdler Rite Of Passage is now as short as 5-2 with Stan James for the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham after an impressive victory at Punchestown.
Making only his second start over hurdles, the six-year-old never came off the bridle and beat the useful Healy’s Bar by lengths. The performance has persuaded his trainer into going to Cheltenham but Weld still wasn’t getting ahead of himself after the facile success.
Weld said: "It was a satisfactory performance but that's as far as I would go. He found the track a little bit tight. It's only his second run over hurdles and the reason for bringing him here was to experience the undulations. It took him time to get use to them, which he did.
"That would indicate to me that we'll let him take his chance in the Neptune, the two-mile-five novice hurdle at Cheltenham. That's likely to be his next race.
"He wasn't spectacular, or overly impressive, but he did it nicely. He's a big horse and the inside track was a bit tight. I think a more galloping track would suit” added Weld.
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