Impaire Et Passe, the talented six-year-old trained by Willie Mullins, has made a significant change to his Cheltenham Festival plans.
The French-bred horse, previously unbeaten during his novice campaign, triumphing in the Ballymore at Cheltenham and a prestigious Grade One at Punchestown, has experienced a less fortunate season, suffering defeats in all three of his recent outings.
Teahupoo narrowly defeated him in the Hatton's Grace, while his stablemate State Man proved too strong in both the Matheson Hurdle and the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown. Recognising the need for a step up in distance but considering the three-mile Stayers' Hurdle a daunting challenge, connections have decided to withdraw Impaire Et Passe from the Cheltenham Festival.
Anthony Bromley, racing manager for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, explained that they will await the Aintree meeting, hoping to see the horse return to his brilliant form. If not, they will patiently wait for the next season to explore novice chasing. Alongside Impaire Et Passe, several other notable horses have also been scratched from various races at the Cheltenham Festival, including the Champion Hurdle, Stayers' Hurdle, Ryanair Chase, Queen Mother Champion Chase, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.