Western Fold springs Punchestown surprise as Elliott nears his Grade One record

Gordon Elliott celebrated his 12th Grade One success of the season as Western Fold won the Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestwon

Jack Kennedy on Western Fold celebrates winning The Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Steeplechase at Punchestown. Pic: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

He’ll almost certainly have to wait a while longer before finally realising his dream of being crowned champion trainer of Ireland but Gordon Elliott edged a step closer to surpassing his best season ever on the Grade One front when Western Fold ran out a surprise winner of the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase.

A 12th top level success of the season brought Elliott to within one of his personal best and, while he was quick to dismiss any possibility that this win might help him at last get the better of Willie Mullins in the title race, he was a happy man post-race.

“We’ve had a great year, I’m very proud to be here in Punchestown. To be leading Willie Mullins down to the last week of the year is unbelievable,” Elliott said.

He added: “We know where we are and we know what we have to do going forward and we’ll keep trying.” 

This win was a pleasant surprise for Elliott given Western Fold finished 30 lengths behind Kitzbuhel in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham before unseating jockey Danny Gilligan when under pressure in the WillowWarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse last time out.

As a consequence, he was an 18-1 shot for this assignment, a race in which Kitzbuhel was sent off the 4-5 favourite.

The Brown Advisory hero adopted his customary front-running tactics from the off but weakened quickly once headed and was ultimately pulled up by Paul Townend.

In contrast, Western Fold was given a patient ride by Jack Kennedy and the Galway Plate winner travelled smoothly into contention before getting the better of Fleur In The Park by three and a quarter lengths.

Elliott said: “We were nervous of the three miles but I just thought the last twice we tried him over three miles, he probably ran too handy at Cheltenham and too handy in Down Royal so we said we’d ride him cold today and see what happens.

“It was a good performance. Some horses might have been coming to the end of their season but this lad has been busier than most. The big key to this horse is the ground, he’s a stone better on better ground.” 

Away from the Grade One action, course specialist Powerful made it three wins from four trips to Punchestown when winning the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final Handicap Hurdle.

Simon Torrens committed the Jessica Harrington-trained five-year-old a fair way from home and the imposing Camelot gelding kept up the gallop all the way to the line to fend of Daylatedollarshort by half a length.

“When he won the Albert Bartlett qualifier here, this was in our mind to come here and hopefully win it,” Harrington said. “He loves that ground. He has won on heavy ground but I think he slightly struggled on that. But it was beautiful ground here and he loved it, he jumped really well off it.” 

Elsewhere on the card, the Martin Brassil-trained Abbeyglen was an impressive winner of the Goffs Defender Bumper while Fountain House gave punters the best possible start to the week when winning the Kildare Hunt Club Cross Country Chase for the Ladies Perpetual Cup at odds of 9-4.