Elliott brings another top contender for American Grand National in Western Fold

Nearly six months have passed since Western Fold won a Grade 1 novice steeplechase at the Punchestown festival in Ireland for his seventh career win.

That day, trainer Gordon Elliott declared Western Fold a candidate for Saturday’s Grade 1 American Grand National at Far Hills Racecourse in New Jersey.

Elliott is well aware of what is needed to win the $300,000 American Grand National, run at 2 5/8 miles over hurdles.

One of Ireland’s top jump racing trainers, Elliott has won the race twice, with Jury Duty in 2018 and Zanahiyr last year. Elliott was second with Galvin in 2024.

Western Fold, a 7-year-old gelding, has started once since the win at Punchestown, finishing ninth of 13 in a maiden race on the flat at 1 3/4 miles on Sept. 1 at Gowran Park, a prep race for Saturday.

In the American Grand National, Western Fold is part of a field of eight in the fifth of six races at Far Hills on a program that begins at 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

The race is expected to have seven runners. Zabeel Champion, the leading American jumper of the spring, will be withdrawn after sustaining a recent cut on a leg, owner Sean Clancy of Riverdee Stable said Wednesday.

“It hasn’t quite healed the way we want,” Clancy said. “It’s minor, and it’s bad timing.”

Western Fold and Zanahiyr will dominate the betting. Zanahiyr, a 9-year-old Irish-bred gelding, is winless in three starts since the 2025 American Grand National. He finished seventh of 10 behind Zabeel Champion in the Grade 1 Iroquois Stakes Hurdle at three miles at Percy Warner Park in Nashville on May 9 in his only start of the year over obstacles.

Zanahiyr was sixth of 12 in a minor handicap on the flat at 2 1/8 miles at Clonmel Racecourse in Ireland on Sept. 16 in his only start since the Iroquois.

Western Fold will be ridden by Jack Kennedy, who rode Zanahiyr in the 2025 Grand National. Danny Gilligan rides Zanahiyr on Saturday.

Without Zabeel Champion in the field, the best hopes for the domestic team are Mr Percy, a rapidly improving 6-year-old gelding trained by Neil Morris, and Fil Dor, who was fifth in the 2025 American Grand National.

Mr Percy, the youngest runner in Saturday’s race, was outstanding at Saratoga during the summer, winning consecutive starts in the Jonathan Kiser Memorial Stakes in July and the Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard Memorial Hurdle in August. Both races were run at 2 3/8 miles.

Mr Percy will start in the longest race of his career Saturday but closed well enough in the Sheppard to indicate a longer trip is within reason.

Fil Dor was trained by Elliott for the 2025 Grand National and has been trained by Ricky Hendriks since then.

Fourth in the Iroquois, Fil Dor was second by three-quarters of a length in the Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick Hurdle at 2 3/8 miles on Aug. 5 at Saratoga. He carried 16 pounds more than race winner Smart Uncle.