Western Fold charges to Grade One victory for Elliott and Kennedy Western Fold gave Gordon Elliott’s trainers’ championship bid a boost as he came out on top on the run-in to the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown. Brown Advisory hero Kitzbuhel bowled along at the front in the Grade One affair, but faded at the business end with July Flower taking it up as they headed to the final fence. Western Fold jumped much the better to land in the lead, with Fleur In The Park and Nowwhatdoyouthink also in the mix as the quartet battled it out and Kitzbuhel was pulled up. But in the end it was the 18-1 Elliott runner that was much the stronger in the hands of Jack Kennedy, to land the €73,625 first prize by three and three-quarter lengths from Andrew Slattery’s Fleur In The Park. Elliott said: “That is great and while I was nervous of the three miles, the last two times we tried him over it we rode him too handy. We rode him cold today and it was a good performance. Some horses come to the end of their season around now, but he has been busier than most and is one of the top five earners this season. “We initially thought about going for the American Grand National, a race Zanahiyr won last year for us, and while we have tried Western Fold in open company in Ireland and it didn’t work out, the American race is a Grade One so is nothing to be sneezed at. “I’m not saying we won’t go to America, but there is also the PWC Champion Chase at Gowran in October for him too and maybe we could pot hunt. The key to this horse is the ground and he is a stone better on it.” He added: “He will have a little break now and while I’d love to go back for the Galway Plate, he might be too high in the weights after today.”
