RITE OF PASSAGE landed a 20-1 shock victory in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot yesterday. And bookmakers are betting on the Dermot Weld’s dual purpose performer winning the jumps version at Cheltenham next March.
The six-year-old made a winning return to the Flat as he stopped Age Of Aquarius following in the hoofprints of stablemate and four-time Ascot Gold Cup hero Yeats.
Rite Of Passage was in action last when third in the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
It was an orthodox route to Gold Cup glory, but Weld’s charge had won his two previous starts on the level.
Just as it seemed Age Of Aquarius, under Johnny Murtagh, was going to give trainer Aidan O’Brien a fifth straight success in the Group One contest Rite Of Passage came out of the pack to challenge. The duo battled all the way to the line with Rite Of Passage prevailing under Pat Smullen by a neck in a course record time.
Weld said: “The plan was hatched a long time ago. It’s a race I’ve always wanted to win and two previous runners, Vinnie Roe and Vintage Crop, finished second so I thought it could be third time lucky.
“We had a good draw and obviously we discussed it with Pat (Smullen), he’s a world class rider and I totally left the decisions to Pat how to ride the horse.”
Smullen said: “I was very happy with how the race unfolded. I was very confident he would stay but he’s got speed as well. I got a lovely position just behind the leaders all the way round and got the gap when I needed.
“He quickened up well and it takes a very good horse to win how he did.
“Johnny (Murtagh, rider of the runner-up) is not an easy man to get the better of, so it’s always nice when you beat him.
“It was a tremendous race and a great spectacle and I’m just pleased we came out on top of it.”
Rite Of Passage is a 14-1 chance with Blue Square and Boylesports for the Melbourne Cup – a race Weld has won twice before. But he was also intriguingly quoted at 25-1 by William Hill to become the first horse in history to win both the Flat and National Hunt versions of the Gold Cup at Cheltenham next March.
But Weld said: “I think I had the favourite for that race (the Melbourne Cup) before today in Profound Beauty, she also beat Age Of Aquarius.
“It’s a long way away, but it’s always been a target of mine for this horse as well.”
Connections of Age Of Aquarius were delighted with how the four-year-old ran on his first try at the 2m4f trip.
Part-owner Derrick Smith said: “We couldn’t be more happy with him.
“He ran very respectably – I thought he was going to get swamped a furlong out but he kept going and stayed every yard. He was beaten by a better horse on the day. You have to be delighted, although you are obviously disappointed to only just get beaten.”
Luca Cumani’s Purple Moon stayed on for third and after his globetrotting exploits he is likely to remain closer to home over the next few months.
Cumani said: “I’m very proud of him. At his age, having been all round the world, and missing most of last year through injury, you have to say it was a great run.
“I would be inclined to stay over here and look at races like the Goodwood Cup and the Lonsdale, although I have spoken to the owner and we will probably put him in the Melbourne Cup again too.”
