Passage on course for St Stephen's Day Dermot Weld's Rite Of Passage is likely to make his anticipated debut over hurdles on December 26 at Leopardstown. Weld favours the the Bord na Mona - Clean Air Maiden Hurdle over two and a quarter miles, the first race of the Dublin track's major Christmas meeting. Two impressive bumper wins saw the chestnut become a huge gamble at the Cheltenham Festival, where he was sent off the 5-2 favourite. Although beaten some way in third behind Dunguib and again defeated at the Curragh in May, Rite Of Passage switched to the Flat to win a maiden and then the Leopardstown November Handicap, beating subsequent Tara Hurdle winner Donnas Palm. Weld said: "He is going to run in a maiden hurdle at Leopardstown. I haven't quite decided which, but it will probably be on the December 26, weather permitting. "We have got to start him off and see if he will make a hurdler. If he doesn't, he can go back to the Flat."
