Rite Of Passage, injury-prone talent turns into a staying great
Dermot Weld’s 8-year-old charge, Rite Of Passage, likes no surface more than Royal Ascot, where he has recorded a couple of big victories. Raising many eyebrows, the Dr R. Lambe-owned took a shock neck-distance triumph in the Group 1, Gold Cup here in 2010.
It was a massive upset, as no one was expecting the 20-1 chance to come up with a blinder.
A lot of racing pundits termed Rite Of Passage’s Gold Cup success as a stroke of luck. The notion got plenty of support, when the son of Giant´s Causeway failed to make an impact on his sole start last year. In the Seamus & Rosemary McGrath Memorial Saval
Beg Stakes at Leopardstown, he could only secure the third position behind Fame And Glory and Vivacious Vivienne.
After staying out of action for nearly one and a half years due to injury problems, the Newsells Park Stud- bred returned to action on October 20th. To dismiss questions over his fitness, it was very important for Rite Of Passage to deliver the
goods on his comeback.
He did exactly the same thing, and produced one of the big upsets of the season, winning the Group 3, Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup. Under Pat Smullen, he was awkward before going into the stalls. He held up in the last pair, and was in no position
to trouble the leaders in the beginning.
The spectators hardly noticed him until the final stages, when he showed an extra special effort. Refreshing the sweet memories of his Gold Cup victory, the 8-1 chance made a very strong finish to notch up the first place by a neck’s distance.
"It's very special," said Weld. "The horse deserved to come back and don't forget he set a course record when winning the Gold Cup. He's had ongoing tendon problems - most of the time I thought he'd be retired - but he's got a great will to win. It's very
satisfying. It was one of the biggest tests I've faced and I'm delighted he came good."
Winning a big event straight after 510 days of tendon problems was surely a great achievement. Rite Of Passage was very close to retirement on so many occasions during his layoff, but never lost determination. By completing his journey from an injury-prone
talent to a staying great, Rite Of Passage has entitled himself to a great deal of respect.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
Tags: