When a horse wins on its first start in 291 days, you pay attention. When that horse is a former Cheltenham Festival winner with entries in the Ryanair Chase, Gold Cup, and Grand National, you pay very close attention.
Impaire Et Passe returned to action in Saturday’s Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park and got the job done in the style that has defined his career — held up, travelling sweetly, then finding plenty when asked. Held up in rear, he made a mistake at two out but kept on well to lead close home, winning the Grade 2 on heavy ground.
It was his first run since being brought down at the fifth fence in the Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown last April. Nearly ten months on the sidelines, and he came back as if he’d never been away.
The CV That Demands Respect
Look at Impaire Et Passe’s career record and you find a horse who keeps delivering at the highest level.
He won the 2023 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival — and won it impressively. Tracking the leaders on the inside, he moved smoothly to lead turning in and stayed on strongly to win easily. He was only a six-year-old then, and the manner of the victory suggested a serious horse in the making.
What followed confirmed it. He won the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle in April 2024, just prevailing in a tight finish over two miles and four furlongs on soft ground. A tough, willing performance. The switch to fences last season yielded a Grade 1 win at the Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick on yielding to soft, and then another at Aintree’s Manifesto Novices’ Chase — his second Grade 1 victory at the Liverpool track.
In total, that’s four Grade 1 wins and a Grade 2, spread across hurdles and fences, at Cheltenham, Aintree, Limerick, Punchestown, and now Gowran Park. Five different tracks, always delivering.
What the Data Tells Us
Digging into SmartForm, two things stand out about Impaire Et Passe.
First, his best form is at intermediate trips. His four career victories at Grade 1 level have all come between two miles and two miles five furlongs. When he stepped back to two miles at Leopardstown for the Irish Champion Hurdle in February 2024, he was beaten 10 lengths into third. He’s not slow, but he needs time to wind up. The extra half-mile makes all the difference.
Second, he handles soft and heavy ground — every one of his 10 career wins has come on ground described as yielding or softer. Saturday’s heavy ground at Gowran Park was right in his wheelhouse. That matters when you’re picking between spring targets.
Ryanair, Gold Cup, or National?
Willie Mullins has kept his options wide open. Impaire Et Passe holds entries in the Ryanair Chase (2m4f, Thursday March 12), the Gold Cup (3m2f, Friday March 13), and the Grand National (4m2f, April 4).
The Ryanair looks the most obvious fit on paper. His Grade 1 form is concentrated at around two and a half miles. He won his Cheltenham Festival race over that trip. He won at Aintree over that trip — twice, over hurdles and fences.
But there’s a complication. The Ryanair is already shaping up as one of the most competitive races of the week, with Jonbon likely to step up in trip after his Ascot Chase win and the established Irish chasers waiting in ambush.
The Gold Cup would mean a significant step up in distance. He’s never raced beyond two miles and five furlongs over fences, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup is run over three miles and two furlongs. It’s a big ask, even if his pedigree and running style suggest stamina won’t be an issue.
The Grand National is the wildcard. At eight years old with an official rating of 157, he’d carry a workable weight. He jumps well, stays well, and handles testing ground. But it’s early to be talking about Liverpool — Saturday’s return was about getting him back on track, and the Festival comes first.
Mullins’ Gowran Masterclass
It’s worth noting that Impaire Et Passe was part of a four-timer for Mullins at Gowran Park on Saturday, a typically ruthless Red Mills Day raid from Closantin.
Storm Heart took the Red Mills Trial Hurdle, Madness d’Elle — a Triumph Hurdle entry — won the opener, and King Alexander completed the clean sweep in the closing beginners’ chase. All four winners were ridden by either Paul Townend or Patrick Mullins, the yard’s two senior pilots, suggesting these were considered important assignments rather than afterthoughts.
The Verdict
Impaire Et Passe returning from 291 days to win a Grade 2 at the first time of asking is quietly one of the most significant performances of the weekend. The Jonbon headlines will dominate, but a Ballymore winner with four Grade 1 victories over fences and hurdles, proven at Cheltenham and Aintree, holding three of the biggest entries in the spring calendar? That’s a horse to keep firmly on your radar.
The Ryanair Chase looks the likeliest target. If Cheltenham gets the soft ground that February suggests, he’ll love every yard of it.