Rite Of Passage (horse)
Rite Of Passage | |
---|---|
Sire | Chestnut |
Breeder | Newsells Park Stud |
Owner | Christopher McHale Dr Ronan Lamb |
Trainer | Dermot Weld |
Record | 11: 7-0-3 |
Earnings | £223,244 |
Major wins | |
Ascot Gold Cup (2010) British Champions Long Distance Cup (2012) | |
Awards | |
European Champion Stayer (2010) |
Rite Of Passage (29 March 2004 – May 2023) was a British-bred, Irish-trained
Background
Rite Of Passage was bred by the
Rite Of Passage was inbred to both Roberto and Northern Dancer (see below).
Rite Of Passage was sent to the Tattersalls October sale as a yearling where he was bought by Dermot Weld for 20,000 gns.[3] Weld trained the horse at his base near the Curragh. Rite Of Passage was ridden by Robbie McNamara in most of his National Hunt starts and by Pat Smullen in all of his flat races.
Rite Of Passage died in May 2023, at the age of 19.[4]
Racing career
2008/2009 season: National Hunt flat races
Rite Of Passage began his racing career by running in
2009 Flat season
Rite Of Passage was switched to conventional flat racing and won both his starts. As his wins had been under National Hunt rules he was still eligible to run in maiden races and was an odds-on winner of such a race at Ballinrobe in September. He was then sent to Leopardstown for a two-mile handicap. Smullen sent the gelding into the lead two and a half furlongs from the finish and soon went clear. Although he was eased down in the closing stages, Rite Of Passage won by eight lengths from the favourite Donna's Palm.[8]
2009/2010 season: Novice hurdles
In the National Hunt season of 2009/2010, Rite Of Passage was campaigned in Novice hurdle races. These are races for horses which have not won a race over hurdles before the start of the season. In January at Leopardstown he won on his hurdling debut, when his only danger came when he was carried wide by a loose (riderless) horse on the turn into the straight.
2010 Flat season
At
The
2011 Flat season
Rite Of Passage did not run for more than eleven months after his Gold Cup win. On his reappearance he finished third to Fame and Glory in the Saval Beg Stakes. Although Rite Of Passage lost his unbeaten record in flat races, Weld was "very pleased" with his horse's performance.[16]
Rite Of Passage was aimed at a second Gold Cup, but had problems in training, and was ruled out of the race by Weld five days before the event.[17]
2012 Flat season
Rite Of Passage did not reappear until October 2012, when he made a successful return to the course after 510 days by winning the British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot's Champions Day fixture. It was his final race; he was retired and in 2015 was moved to the Irish National Stud. His death was announced on 30 May 2023.[18]
Assessment
Despite having run only one race in the 2010 flat season Rite Of Passage was named
In the 2010
Pedigree
Sire Giant's Causeway (USA) 1997 |
Storm Cat 1983 |
Storm Bird | Northern Dancer* |
---|---|---|---|
South Ocean | |||
Terlingua | Secretariat | ||
Crimson Saint | |||
Mariah's Storm 1991 |
Rahy | Blushing Groom | |
Glorious Song | |||
Immense | Roberto* | ||
Imsodear | |||
Dam Dahlia's Krissy (USA) 1996 |
Kris S 1977 |
Roberto* | Hail To Reason |
Bramalea | |||
Sharp Queen | Princequillo | ||
Bridgework | |||
Dahlia's Image 1985 |
Lyphard | Northern Dancer* | |
Goofed | |||
Dahlia | Vaguely Noble | ||
Charming Alibi (Family: 13-c)[22] |
- Rite Of Passage is inbred 3x4 to Roberto. This means that the stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of his pedigree. He is also inbred 4x4 to Northern Dancer.
References
- ^ "Giant's Causeway Stud Record". Racing Post. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ "Rite Of Passage pedigree". Racing Post. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ "Dahlia's Krissy (USA) statistics". Racing Post. Retrieved 2011-09-25.[dead link]
- ^ "Gold Cup Hero Rite of Passage Dies at Age of 19". Blood Horse. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ "Kerrymaid NHF race result". Racing Post. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ Cook, Chris (2009-03-11). "news and views on day two of the Cheltenham Festival". Guardian. London. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ "Champion Bumper result". Racing Post. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ "Leopardstown November Hcap result". Racing Post. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ "Frank Conroy Hurdle result". Racing Post. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ Armytage, Marcus (2010-02-17). "Rite of Passage heads for Cheltenham Festival". Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ J A McGrath (2010-06-17). "Dermot Weld realises his Gold Cup ambition". Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ "Gold Cup result". Racing Post. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ Greg Wood (2010-06-17). "Dermot Weld finally wins Gold Cup". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ "Cloud over Melbourne Cup trip". Herald Sun. 2010-09-08. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ independent.ie apps (2010-11-23). "Weld unlikely to send Rite Of Passage over hurdles". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ "O'Brien settles on Derby quartet". The Independent. London. 2011-05-30. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ "Passage out of Ascot Gold Cup". The Irish Times. 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ "'Extremely talented and courageous' Gold Cup hero Rite Of Passage dies at age of 19". Racing Post. 30 May 2023.
- ^ Armytage, Marcus (2010-11-17). "Cartier Awards 2010". Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ "The 2010 World Thoroughbred Rankings". International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities. Archived from the original on 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
- ^ "Rite of Passage pedigree". Equineline. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2012-07-02.
- ^ "Stray Shot – Family 13-c". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2012-07-02.