Slipping up the inside for the stretch run under Harrison Beswick, Noah And The Ark surged clear to decisively win the $250,000 Grand National Stakes (NSA-1) Oct. 21 at Far Hills.
Lonesome Glory Handicap (NSA-1) winner Merry Maker was second, well clear of pacesetting Seddon in third. Favored Salvador Ziggy , who chased Seddon early, weakened to finish unplaced.
The victory for Noah And the Ark was his first in four races this year. Last year, he won the Lonesome Glory by nine lengths in his top achievement from 2022.
Having gone unplaced in his three early starts in 2023, he slipped past the betting public, returning $37 for his upset victory in the Grand National.
Todd McKenna trains the winner, a 9-year-old chestnut gelding by Vinnie Roe , for owner Keystone Thoroughbreds.
The Grand National, a prestigious, 14-hurdle race over 2 5/8 miles, went to post with eight runners carrying 156 pounds. The Grand National is among the more influential races in determining the Eclipse Award as champion steeplechaser.
