Rite can book passage

RITE Of Passage must be strongly fancied to book his ticket to Cheltenham by landing the Book Your Festival Tickets Hurdle at Punchestown today.

The versatile Dermot Weld-trained six-year-old impressed on his hurdling debut at Leopardstown last month and, although facing a much stiffer task today, has the class to se him through in the hands of Robbie McNamara.

Winner of bumpers at Galway and Naas, Rite Of Passage ran a cracker when third to Dunguib in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham last year.

Successful in a flat maiden at Ballinrobe last September, the Giant’s Causeway gelding produced his most impressive performance in the Leopardstown November when beating Donnas Palm eight lengths.

Donnas Palm, of course, is better known as a hurdler and, runner-up to Solwhit in the Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle last time, earning a rating of 161 and proving on course for the ‘Champion’ at Cheltenham.

With that in mind, Rite Of Passage’s task against 144-rated Healys Bar today is quickly put in perspective.

A faller in the race won by Powerstation at Leopardstown last time, Healys Bar had earlier finished third to Oscar Dan Dan in the Hattons Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse.

In contrast, Rite Of Passage has raced only once over hurdles, oozing class when beating subsequent winner Grey Soldier in a maiden at Leopardstown.

He looks a six-year-old of immense potential and is napped to follow-up today when a convincing win should book his place in the line-up for the Neptune Investments Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham.