DID you know that Gordon Elliott rode winners in the USA, and competed a number of times in the Maryland Cup, though without success?

Last year, the Co Meath trainer took a team to Far Hills and took the meeting by storm, saddling five winners. They included Zanahiyr who claimed the feature, the American Grand National Hurdle, a race won in 2022 by Hewick. The Bective Stud-owned Zanahiyr was again part of this year’s raiding party, and did well to finish third.

Jack Kennedy partnered the winner last year, but this time opted to ride Elliott’s other runner in the feature, the seven-year-old Western Fold (Westerner), and he made the correct call. The Cullentra runners finished first and third, and were divided by Fil Dor who remained in the USA after he ran in the American Grand National Hurdle last year, finishing fifth. On this occasion he got to within a head of Western Fold.

Martin Dibbs, who bred the Grand National winner Comply Or Die, died two years ago. How apt that he should be recalled as the breeder of another horse who can claim to have won a ‘Grand National’. Based at Clinton House Stud, Mullingar, Martin would have been so proud of Western Fold, and this was the gelding’s eighth win. He previously won the Listed Mayo Grand National at Ballinrobe.

Western Fold is well known of course. Last year he won the Galway Plate, while back in April he beat the smart Fleur In The Park by almost four lengths in the Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Champion Chase. The runner-up has this month returned to win the Grade 2 PWC Danoli Chase at Gowran Park. Dibbs sold Western Fold at the Tattersalls Ireland February Sale as a newly-turned yearling for €17,000 to Peter Nolan, and there was quite a profit made when the gelding was resold at the Goffs Land Rover Sale to Bobby O’Ryan and Gordon Elliott for €82,000.

Old-fashioned family

An old-fashioned National Hunt family is how you would describe Western Fold’s female line. His first four dams are all by well-known jumping stallions. The quartet are Fieldtown (Anshan), Annie’s Alkali (Strong Gale), Lady’s Wager (Girandole) and Queen’s Wager (Even Money). The only other blacktype winner in those four generations appears under the third dam. He is Katnap (Sleeping Car), a gelding bred in France out of Kittygale (Strong Gale), a full-sister to Western Fold’s grandam. Katnap earned his blacktype victory in the USA.

Fieldtown was unraced, but did well with visits to Westerner (Danehill). Last weekend’s winner is a full-brother to a pair of chase winners and the point-to-point winner Westie Rose. Another sibling, Spring Steel (Dushyantor) won four chases. Fieldtown’s dam Annie’s Alkali placed in a bumper, and all six of her offspring who raced won, five of them on the racecourse and another between the flags. Covered by Presenting (Mtoto), she produced three-time winner Brotenstown and the David Pipe trained, four-time winner The Sliotar. Brotenstown placed in a listed chase and had success visiting Westerner, one of her winners by the sire being Look To The West, a Grade 3-placed hurdler.

Westerner on a daughter of Anshan has been a success, and is responsible for Grade 1 Cheltenham Arkle Chase winner Western Warhorse, dual Grade 2-winning hurdler Maxxum, Grade B-winning chaser Castlebawn West, and Kupatana, a listed chase winner. Westerner had one filly in his final crop, now a yearling. His record shows that he sired a Group 2 winner on the flat, while his National Hunt blacktype winners number 60 now.

Lizzie Twigg

Elliott did not match his tally of five victories last year, but he did have a second on the card. This was the progressive Lizzie Twigg (Poet’s Word) in the Listed Foxbrook Champion Hurdle, and she looks likely to make her mark back here this season. She is a fine example of the quality of runners being sired by Poet’s Word (Poet’s Voice) who stands at Boardsmill Stud. He covered more than 250 mares this year again.

Lizzie Twigg is from a predominantly flat family. She is the third and last foal out of Trishuli Rock (Fastnet Rock), all of which are fillies. Trishuli Rock was trained by Marco Botti and raced five times. She was runner-up on her first three starts, and finished third and fourth on the other runs. Unlucky not to gain a winning bracket, she was covered by Nathaniel (Galileo), and had a filly named Natris who went to Italy where she won five times over jumps. She would certainly be worth finding.

Trishuli Rock visited Poet’s Word in his first season at stud in England, at a fee of £7,000, but was sold in foal for 5,000gns. The daughter she was carrying, Trishuli River, has won four times on the flat in Ireland, from a mile to 12 furlongs, and she must be an attractive breeding prospect for the coming spring. Her full-sister Lizzie Twigg followed, and has now won five of her six starts, a bumper and all of her four runs over hurdles. They include a listed novice hurdle at Galway during the summer.

Poet’s Word moved to Boardsmill Stud for his second season, and that crop are now five-year-olds. He has been as popular with buyers as he is with breeders, and has eight blacktype performers in the bag. Little wonder he is one of the most talked about jumps sires around.