Well-Bred Dawalan Prevails in Grand National

 

After the last fence of the Far Hills Races' $300,000 Grand National (NSA-I) Oct. 17, it was brother versus brother. Barry Geraghty, a leading Irish jockey, was aboard Irish-based invader Eshtiaal, and U.S.-based Ross Geraghty rode Irv Naylor's well-bred Dawalan as they fought to the finish line.

 

Dawalan, a 5-year-old Azamour gelding, prevailed by a half-length in the richest race ever run at a National Steeplechase Association meet.

 

Eshtiaal, owned by Will Salthouse and Mark McKay and trained by Gordon Elliott, fought back valiantly after being headed at the final obstacle, but Dalawan simply had more left in reserve to get the win.

 

The Grand National was the second of three stakes victories on the program for Naylor, a York, Pa., sportsman and philanthropist, and his principal trainer, Cyril Murphy. They also accounted for the $50,000 Peapack Stakes for fillies and mares with One Lucky Lady, and the $50,000 New Jersey Hunt Cup over timber fences with Ebanour. 

 

Naylor's Rawnaq finished a nose behind Eshtiaal in the Grand National and contributed to Naylor's $288,000 haul for the afternoon, which nearly doubled his 2015 earnings total. His year's total soared to $578,450 and placed him far in front for the 2015 leading owner title.

 

Imported after this spring's Grand National meet in England, where he was trained by Nicky Henderson, Dawalan thrust himself into the wide-open battle for the NSA's Lonesome Glory Champions Award and the year's Eclipse Award with a highly professional victory over a high-class field. Still in the picture is Jacqueline Ohrstrom's reigning champion Demonstrative, who misjudged a fence and finished last of nine in vying for a Grand National repeat.

 

Dawalan ran the Grand National's 2 5/8 miles on firm turf in 4:57 1/5, the fastest time since champion Good Night Shirt's 4:54 1/5 in 2008.

 

Murphy believed that Naylor's Peapack Stakes winner One Lucky Lady was the horse to beat in the day's first race. He felt he had the best horse in the Grand National if Demonstrative did not run his best race.

 

"I thought we had to beat Demonstrative," he said. "If we could beat him, it was going to take a very good effort to beat (Dawalan)." 

 

Dawalan was bred in France by the Aga Khan from the now-deceased blue hen Daltawa (Miswaki), the dam of champions and sires Dalakhani (Darshaan) and Daylami (Doyoun). His racing career began with two placings from four starts on the flat in France when he was a 3-year-old with traine Andre Fabre, and later that season he joined Henderson to campaign over jumps for new connections. 

 

Dawalan came into the Grand National from a third-place finish in his American debut, the $150,000 Lonesome Glory Handicap (NSA-I) at Belmont Park Sept. 24.

 

Ross Geraghty placed Dawalan in midpack as his stablemate Decoy Daddy set the early pace with Eshtiaal close behind him for more than two miles. On the final run down the backstretch, Demonstrative misjudged a fence, landed flat-footed, and lost all chance of victory, trainer Richard Valentine said.

 

As Decoy Daddy tired, Eshtiaal took over, but Dawalan closed stoutly, took the lead, and kept the dead-game invader at bay. Rawnaq, making his first U.S. start since being unplaced in Ireland's richest hurdle race, the Guinness Galway Hurdle, closed well to just miss second money.

 

Dawalan's U.S. purses now total $195,000, placing him behind New York Turf Writers Cup (NSA-I) and Lonesome Glory winner Bob Le Beau, who prefers firmer ground than Far Hills usually offers and passed on the year's richest race. 

 

Remaining on the schedule of NSA grade I races is the $100,000 Marion duPont Scott Colonial Cup at Camden, S.C., on Nov. 21. Murphy said he would take Dawalan back to Naylor's Maryland farm. After checking out how the Grand National winner emerges from the race, the owner will decide whether to go on to the Colonial Cup and pursue the championship.

 

In 2011, Naylor's Black Jack Blues won the Grand National on his way to the Lonesome Glory Champions Award as the year's leading earner and the Eclipse Award.