Impaire Et Passe warms to his task © Photo Healy Racing
Willie Mullins and Paul Townend combined with Impaire Et Passe to land a Punchestown treble, but those who played the 1/3 odds certainly had several moments of concern.
He was racing with zest in third behind Champ Kiely and High Definition in this Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle over the extended two miles three furlongs.
He followed the aforementioned pair into the straight and was asked for his effort, but the response was gradual more than immediate.
He kept finding though and came with his challenge to grab High Definition just before the last. The five-year-old gelding was in charge on the run-in as he went on by seven and a-half lengths from 12/1 High Definition.
This made it four from four in Ireland for French-bred Impaire Et Passe. This was his second Grade 1 having also won the Ballymore at the Cheltenham Festival.
Mullins said: “He didn't impress me at all, I was delighted he won, but throughout the race he wasn't impressing me. He looked like he wasn't enjoying it and maybe Cheltenham took much more out of him than we thought.
“At home he was on fire and maybe I did too much with him because he was going so well.
“It's hard to say something went wrong when you win by seven-and-a-half lengths.
“Maybe he loves the hill in Cheltenham, he just got going up the hill whereas today is a Flat track. I'll have a quick chat with Paul later on and see what he thought.
“Turning for home I wouldn't have backed him, so to win after that just means that he has a huge engine but he wasn't really in love with what he was doing today, whether it was the ground or what I don't know.
“I think we'll freshen him up now. I was thinking maybe of going to France but I won't, I think I'll just put him away.”
Townend added: "It was not as straightforward as I was hoping.
"Maybe it was just because I was left on my own. I think everyone could see that I was never really happy throughout the race.
"When I got upsides them, he came on the bridle for me and his class shone through then.
"I wasn't going to hit him a smack or anything and when he hit the front he didn't over exert himself, so maybe it was left kind of bridging the gap on my own. He thought he was having a day off!
"I was hoping when I got close to them, he would come alive for a lot of the race but, until he did that, I wasn't sure it was going to happen.
"I was confident enough off the bend I was going to get there, whether it was good enough or not after that.
"On his homework, you wouldn't bring him anywhere to be honest!
"He is better than today.
"He'll have no problem jumping a fence but I'd say it will depend on what the horse across the water (Constitution Hill) is doing as well!"
Paddy Power kept Impaire Et Passe unchanged at 10/3 for the Champion Hurdle. Constitution Hill is the 6/4 favourite with Paddy Power.
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
