NASHVILLE, Tenn.--In a race between two steeplechase giants, Abaan beat Snap Decision in the G1,  $250,000, 3 mile Calvin Houghland Iroquois Hurdle Stakes.

Abaan leads Snap Decision over the last fence in the Iroquois (Photo by Tod Marks)Snap Decision, 11, a steeplechase Eclipse Award winner and winner of 15 - yes, 15 - steeplechase stakes, is royally bred, by Hard Spun out of an Unbridled mare and was graded stakes placed on the flat before his jumping career.

Abaan, 8, is also royally bred, by Will Take Charge out of a Tapit mare, and won a G3 race as well as being G2 Stakes placed on the flat before turning to steeplechasing.

Described by Charlie Fenwick as "a maturing steeplechase horse," Abaan has already won four hurdle stakes, including two G1 hurdle stakes.

Abaan, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Daigneault Thoroughbreds, trained by Kate Dalton and ridden by Bernie Dalton, beat Snap Decision by 1 length in 4:02, with Vae Patron, trained by Leslie Young, third.

 

IN THEIR only other meeting, Snap Decision, owned by Bruton Street-US, trained by Jack Fisher and ridden by Graham Watters, beat Abaan by 1 1/2 lengths in the Temple Gwathmey in April.

Kate and Bernie Dalton on race day morning at the barn (Photo by Tod Marks)"The race was very slow the first lap," said Bernie Dalton. "Snap was just ahead of me, so I was able to move with him. He was beaten by Snap in the Temple Gwathmey, but he had an excuse. He missed three weeks of training in early March. He's an amazing horse, but you have to keep his mind on his job. I wasn't worried about the distance, he has a high cruising speed."

“You hate to beat Snap," said jockey Bernie Dalton. "He’s been star worthy in the sport for years, but if anybody was going to spoil the pack, we’re delighted it was us."

"We're really happy," said Kate Dalton. "We thought he ran a great race. We're going to wait until fall to run him again, He doesn't like the race track thing."

 “We’ve felt all along that he had a chance to be a superior horse,” said Joe Fowler of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Daigneault Thoroughbreds. “Kate Dalton, his trainer, and her husband Bernie have just handled him beautifully to get him to this point. We knew he had a lot of talent. We also knew that Snap Decision is probably the best steeplechase horse—certainly in my lifetime—and to be able to have a chance to compete against him, and actually beat him, is tremendous to us.”

As winner of the  Iroquois stakes, Abaan is invited to compete in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival in Gloucestershire, England next March.

The invitation also includes travel expenses.

Kate said the hadn't decided yet whether to accept that invitation.

At Cheltenham, along with facing Europe's top steeplechase horses, the going is apt to be quite deep and holding.

"I've never had the problem of thinking about that," she said of the invitation. "He doesn't seem to mind deep going. Of course,our soft ground is different than their soft ground. But he's performed well in soft going here. Cheltenham sounds like a blast. We'll just have to see what the horse tells us."

"We are very proud of Snap and continue to be honored to live in his world," said Mike Hankin, a partner with Fenwick and Charlie Noell in Bruton Street. "He put on another impressive performance - five runs in Nashville, three firsts and two seconds. We'll see how he comes out of the race and then think about what comes next."

The Daltons had a spectacular day at Iroquois, not only winning the G! Iroquois but also, as trainer and jockey, winning the $125,000 Green Pastures Novice Stakes with St. Rita Racing's China Beach.

China Beach won by 4 lengths in 4:11 2/5 over Blue Creek, trained by Keri Brion, and Walk the Warrior (Ire), trained by Young.

"China Beach has been in great form," said Dalton, He ran a great race at Camden and came out of it thinking he was King Kong, and we didn't tell him he wasn't."

"He seems like he'd be okay at a racetrack, so maybe we'll try Saratoga next with him," she said.

"We're over the moon," she said of winning the two biggest races on the card. "We never get days like this. Big trainers have doubles all the time, but not so much little trainers like us."

Young saddled Leipers Fork Steeplechasers's For the Parish (Ire), ridden by Danny Mullins, to win the $45,000 Ratings Handicap Hurdle by 2 3/4 lengths over Sweet Will (Ire), trained by Arch Kingsley, and L'Avvocato, trained by Kathy Neilson.

Kingsley saddled Hurricana Farm's Bonneboso (Fr), ridden by Freddie Procter, to win the $40,000 Maiden Hurdle in 4:16 2/5 over Grey Pharoh (Ire), trained by Young, and Mosey, trained by Dalton.

Tom Garner saddled Northwoods Stable's Dynamite Dan, ridden by Evan Dwan, to win he $40,000 Maiden Hurdle by 2 1/4 lenghs in 4:18 1/5 over Point Me By, trained by Julie Gomena, and Arturo Toscanini (Ire), trained by Brion.

Cyril Murphy saddled Irv Naylor'sGoldCharm(Ire), ridden by Gerard Galligan, to win the $50,000 Filly and Mare Hurdle Stakes by 2 3/4  lengths in 4:25 1/5 over Diamons for Her, trained by Brion, and PoreJaune (Fr), also trained by Brion.

Neislon saddled Marcel Magic (Ire) to win the $25,000 Allowance Timber in a race that took a half hour to decide, after which it was decided Uco Valley, trained by Young, had gone off course by going on the wrong side of a beacon.