Far Hills recap
©Tod Marks
A great day for McKenna, Elliott, Kennedy, and Del Rio
Continuing where he left off last year, Irish trainer Gordon Elliott captured two of the five jump races including the biggest prize, the $300,000 American Grand National (Grade 1) with his shipper Western Fold. Elliott’s number-one jockey, Jack Kennedy, who won with four of the trainer’s Far Hills runners in 2025, was aboard both of Elliott’s winners on Saturday, the other being the mare Lizzie Twigg in the $150,000 Foxbrook Champion novice stakes.
Unlike last year, Elliott didn’t capture all five jump races on the card, so there were plenty of accolades to go around. Gigi Lazenby’s Tennessee-based Del Rio Racing campaigned both Lizzie Twigg and Western Fold (in partnership with Weld-Spec Glasgow Ltd. and Dee L‘Estrange), along with Blue Watters, winner of the Grade 2 $100,000 Peapack for fillies and mares. The latter trained by Ricky Hendriks and ridden by Conor Tierney. In addition, Del Rio had three seconds on the day.
It was also a momentous occasion for Chester County, Pa.-based owner-trainer Todd McKenna, who kick off the day with victories in both the $75,000 Harry E. Harris four-year-old stakes (Max Attack) and I Found My Jet in the $64,000 McDynamo stakes for maidens. Freddie Procter and Graham Watters were in the saddle, respectively, for those scores.
Trainer Keri Brion and jockey Stephen Mulqueen wrapped up the day with an emphatic score in the $150,000 John Forbes Memorial Stakes on the turf with July Cavalry Racing and AJ Suited Racing Stables’ Noble Factor.
Here’s how the races played out:
A Del Rio Double: Western Fold nips Fil Dor in Grand National nailbiter
Competing in the colors of Del Rio Racing, Gordon Elliott-trained Western Fold, with Jack Kennedy aboard, edged Del Rio’s Ricky Hendriks-trained Fil Dor in the marquee event, the $300,000 Grade 1 American Grand National at Far Hills.
The duo ran first and second the entire 2 5/8 miles, with Western Fold, the post time favorite, passing his foe at the last, but the gray proved as game as they come, fighting back and just getting edged by a head.
Last year’s Grand National winner, Zanahiyr, also trained by Elliott, was another 3 1/4 lengths back in third with Danny Gilligan in the saddle. Butler Hall Racing Stables longshot Boldog (Evan Dwan) gained ground to finish fourth, beaten less than four lengths.
Max Attack blows away field in $75,000 Harry Harris stakes for four-year-olds
Todd McKenna is on a roll. The trainer/owner is having a remarkable season. Tied for second place in the standings with 12 wins, the Pennsylvania horseman captured the first two races on Saturday’s card, kicking off the day with Max Attack, who ran his career record to a perfect two-for-two.
Sent off at 9-1 with leading rider Freddie Procter in the saddle, the Irish-bred sat in second behind odds-on Gordon Elliott-trained favorite Porcupine Bank (Jack Kennedy) and Paul and Molly Willis and James Fyffe’s Secret Force (Danny Mullins) in the early going. The favorite led early but jumped awkwardly at the second fence causing his jockey to lose his stirrups, effectively ending his race. Secret Force took over the lead and held it to the second to last jump before tiring.
Max Attack, who won his maiden debut at Shawan Downs last month, rallied on the final turn and battled Riverdee Stable and Joseph Fowler’s hard-charging Pudding Lane (Dan Nevin) over the fence, but quickly drew clear and extended his advantage in the stretch to nearly eight lengths. St. Rita Racing’s Pleasant Fantasy (Bernie Dalton) was another 2 3/4 lengths back in third.
I Found My Jet rockets to front in $64,000 McDynamo maiden stakes
It was back-to-back wins for owner/trainer Todd McKenna in the second at Moorland Farm, when his Keystone Thoroughbreds’ I Found My Jet, under Graham Watters, came from off the pace after the final fence to win going away by three lengths.
Stone Farm, Upland Flats Racing, and Dean Roethemeier’s Prayer (Stephen Mulqueen) was the pacesetter in the field of six and held the lead to the final fence, where he dueled Del Rio Racing’s San Hilario (Jack Kennedy).
But there was a mishap at the last when Prayer fell over the jump leading to a collision with Del Rio’s Rotterdam, who was immediately behind, unseating Conor Tierney. San Hilario and Southwind Stable’s Lost in the Dream (Dan Nevin), the race favorite who was making a move at this point, were unaffected and battled on the front end, while I Found My Jet also rallied from off the pace.
The trio duked it out uphill into the stretch with I Found My Jet drawing clear by three lengths nearing the wire. San Hilario held second with Lost in the Dream third.
This was the second start for I found My Jet. In his debut at Shawan Downs last month he finished third, 5 1/2 lengths behind Evade and Lost in the Dream at Shawan. The latter was making his U.S. debut after a pair of starts — and wins on the flat — in Europe.
Blue Waters secures convincing win in G2 $100,000 Peapack
Top fillies and mares battled it out for year-end division honors in the Peapack, and when the dust settled it was Del Rio Racing’s Blue Waters who proved clearly best.
Ridden by Conor Tierney for trainer Ricky Hendriks, the five-year-old Irish-bred mare turned in her second straight impressive National Steeplechase Association performance after coming stateside from her homeland in May to run in another key races for females, the Margaret Currey Henley stakes at the Iroquois Steeplechase.
The Peapack drew a field of six including former champion Gold Charm and Runnymoore Racing’s Timetoshine, a proven model of consistency, who won the Marion DuPont Scott stakes at Colonial Downs earlier this season and finished a highly competitive second in three other major distaff stakes this year.
Previously trained by Gordon Elliott, Blue Waters, the 2-1 favorite, defeated Timetoshine and Gold Charm in the Henley, and she needed a strong effort to do so again.
The race began with Hill Parker’s Red Tone (Bernie Dalton) on the lead closely followed by Paul and Molly Willis, Dark Horse Racing, Atlantic Friends Racing, and The International Venture’s Anoint (Stephen Mulqueen), Timetoshine (Dan Nevin), and Blue Waters running easily behind. The closely bunched field maintained a similar running order for the first mile and a half or so until Blue Waters made her move at the beginning of the final circuit, extended her advantage up the backside, and maintained it turning into the final straightaway. Heading toward the final fence, Timetoshine unleashed her run, drawing close to the leader. At that point, Red Tone was still in the hunt as well, but as the trio began the long uphill grind to the stretch, Blue Waters remained uncatchable, drawing clear by 3 1/4 lengths over Timetoshine. Why Not Racing’s Pathway to Victory (Harry Bewsick) rallied for the show spot, three-quarters of a length ahead of Gold Charm, who also showed a late-closing kick.
Lizzie Twigg beats the boys in Foxbrook novice stakes
Chalk another one up for the team of Del Rio Racing, trainer Gordon Elliott, and jockey Jack Kennedy. This time, it was the spectacular five-year-old mare Lizzie Twigg, the odds-on choice, who found the winner’s circle, taking the $150,000 Foxbrook Champion Hurdle by 9 1/4 lengths — the widest margin of the day.
A winner of three straight hurdle events, the daughter of multiple G1 winner Poet’s Word advanced from maiden to allowance to stakes winner in her native land in less than four months.
In the Foxbrook, Lizzie Twigg stalked patiently in third as Gail Clark and Turks Head Turf’s Predominate (Graham Watters) set the pace and remained on top until the final fence. Leipers Fork Steeplechase Vae Patron (Stephen Mulqueen) also was well placed throughout. Kennedy nudged his mount to the front approaching the final fence, taking command, and drawing off with authority under a hand ride. Lizzie Twigg’s Del Rio stablemate, Lynches Knock, who had been racing at the back of the pack, was fourth at the last jump, and advanced steadily to get up for second. Vae Patron was third.
Speedy Noble Factor pours it on in $150,000 Forbes flat stakes
After 19 starts on the flat in maiden, claiming, and allowance company at Tampa Bay and Saratoga, July Cavalry Racing and AJ Suited Racing Stable’s Noble Factor earned his first stakes win in the John Forbes Memorial on the turf to end the day.
Trained by Keri Brion and ridden by Stephen Mulqueen, the five-year-old son of The Factor broke alertly in the crowded field of 13 going 2 miles, saved ground racing along the rail, seized the lead from Del Rio Racing’s Passing Game (Conor Tierney) around the 1 1/2-mile mark, and roared through the stretch to win by 6 1/2 lengths.
Sent off at 7-1, Noble Factor earned $90,000 for the victory and raised his career earnings to $236,000. A model of consistency, Noble Factory has been in the money in 16 of his 20 starts with five wins.