Dermot Weld pays tribute to ‘talented and courageous’ Rite Of Passage

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Tue May 30, 2023 · 2y ago

Dermot Weld has paid tribute to 2010 Ascot Gold Cup winner Rite Of Passage after the Irish National Stud announced his death at the age of 19.

Trained by Weld for owner Dr Ronan Lambe, Rite Of Passage was placed twice at the Cheltenham Festival, taking third in the 2009 Champion Bumper before having to settle for the same position in the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle the following season.

That defeat was followed by an audacious bid for Gold Cup glory at the Royal meeting and ridden by Pat Smullen, Rite Of Passage dug deep to fend off the challenge of Age Of Aquarius by a neck at odds of 20/1.

Rite Of Passage ran just twice more after that success, winning the 2012 British Champions Long Distance Cup off a 510-day break on what was the final outing of his 12-race career.

Weld said: “He got a brilliant ride from Pat Smullen and came back two years later to win the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day. He was difficult to keep sound, but he was an extremely talented and courageous racehorse. His performance in the Gold Cup was one of the best for many decades.

“He had a wonderful retirement in the National Stud, he looked magnificent and his fabulous care is a great credit to the team at the National Stud. When I went to see him recently, he came straight over to me and reminded me of what an outstanding individual he was.”

WATCH: Rite Of Passage lands Long Distance Cup

Unlimited Replays

of all UK and Irish races with our Race Replays

Discover Sporting Life Plus Benefits

What Timeform Said

RITE OF PASSAGE had made the track just once since winning the 2010 Ascot Gold Cup, and that was 17 months ago, but at the age of 8 he came back and showed that he retains most of his ability, not quite needing to match his best but close to a very smart level of form; he relished the thorough test of the Gold Cup trip when successful in that race and, at 2m here, the emphasis on stamina was important to his chance, helped by both testing conditions and the way the race developed, patiently ridden himself, making headway under pressure early in the straight and staying on to lead in the final 50 yards; it's a tremendous training performance by Dermot Weld to get Rite of Passage back operating at this level and he now has to come into the mix for next year's Ascot Gold Cup, for all that there is an obvious concern as to how much more racing he'll be able to stand, fragile as he clearly is.

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org

Like what you've read?