DERMOT WELD’S highly promising novice, Rite Of Passage, is set to make his long-awaited jumping debut in the very first race of Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival on St Stephen’s Day. Rite Of Passage will be returning to the track where he enjoyed his most significant success to date with his rout of the November Handicap field on the flat.
Afterwards it was confirmed that the horse, who ran third to Dunguib in the Cheltenham bumper last season, and is already a 14 to 1 shot for the Grade One novice on the second day of Cheltenham in March, would make his jumping debut over Christmas.
“We will have to see what the weather brings but as long as the ground is okay the plan is to run on St Stephen’s Day,” confirmed Weld yesterday.
The predominantly Flat trainer has almost all of his small but select National Hunt team ready to roll in eight days’ time with six declarations appearing at yesterday’s forfeit stage. They include Bobs Pride, who features among 11 entries for the €90,000 Grade One Bord Na Mona with Nature Novice Chase, as well as the good bumper performer Universal Truth, who has the option of running in a four-year-old hurdle.
“Whatever National Hunt horses we have are ready for Leopardstown,” Weld added. “Bobs Pride is a possible for the Grade One chase but it’s too early to know about jockey plans for any of them yet.”
Sizing Europe heads the entries for the St Stephen’s Day feature at Leopardstown but it looks like shaping into a vintage renewal of the two-mile plus event with both the 2008 Champion Hurdle runner-up Osana and the former Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner, Captain Cee Bee, also having the option to run.
Willie Mullins has also kept the Grade One on Sports Line’s possible programme following his impressive chasing debut at Navan last month.
Edward O’Grady will be heavily represented in the top-flight prizes over the Christmas period but there will also be intense interest in the second start over jumps of his current Triumph Hurdle ante-post favourite Alaivan. The ex-John Oxx trained runner dominates the eight strong entry for the Grade Two Inforthenight.ie Juvenile Hurdle. Other possible runners include yesterday’s Clonmel winner Leblon and Jessica Harrington’s Mosstown.
O’Grady’s candidates for Christmas include the Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Tranquil Sea who could drop back to two miles for the Dial-A-Bet.
Ground conditions at Leopardstown are currently “soft” and manager Tom Burke reported: “Met Éireann tell us the cold conditions will continue until Christmas.”
