Alanna Homes Champion

Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)

IT wasn’t as impressive as his brilliant Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle demolition job at Cheltenham but Impaire Et Passe showed he has grit to go with his class in running out a workmanlike winner of the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle.

Paul Townend did not exude the same confidence as was the case when handing out a five-and-a-half-length beating to Gaelic Warrior at Prestbury Park last month, but the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned five-year-old still managed to pick up well enough from off the pace to score by seven and a half lengths as 1/3 favourite.

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle seventh High Definition attempted to put it up to the Willie Mullins-trained hotpot in the straight but had no answer to the winner’s finishing kick and also lost momentum when making contact with some railing on the run-in.

Mullins, who implied that no decision has been made on whether Impaire Et Passe will stay hurdling or go chasing next season, said: “I thought he was in trouble a lot of the way but some of my staff tell me that he can look a little like that at home.

“That surprised me, though, because I thought he was flying at home. I was wondering why he wasn’t picking up, but when Paul pulled him out and got serious he put it to bed.

“I was wondering if it was the hill at Cheltenham that made him so special - does he want a hill rather than a flat track like here? We’ll see. He can pull it out of the fire and it looked like he needed to do that.”

Townend was notching his seventh Grade 1 of the week for Mullins, and his ninth success in total just after the halfway stage of day four. Asked about future options for the Diamond Boy gelding, the champion jockey said: “He was very good at Cheltenham. He’d have no problem jumping a fence but I’d say it’ll depend on what the horse across the water [Constitution Hill] is doing as well.”

Townend added: “This horse is better than he showed today. It wasn’t as straightforward as I was hoping. Maybe it’s because I was left on my own a bit and everyone could see that I was never really happy during the race. When he went upsides them, he came on the bridle for me and thankfully his class shone through.

“When he hit the front he didn’t overly exert himself. Maybe it was just a matter of having to bridge the gap to the leaders on my own. He might have thought he was having a day off.”

Impaire Et Passe is 4/1 second favourite for next year’s Champion Hurdle with Ladbrokes, as well as heading the market for the Arkle at 5/2.