Irish Stars Zanahiyr and James Du Berlais Headline Iroquois Stakes Test

The Calvin Houghland Iroquois Stakes again made Percy Warner Park feel like its own racing universe, a Grade I hurdle race that asked a different question than the dirt-and-turf programs dominating most spring coverage: could proven class abroad hold up to three miles, 17 fences, and Nashville’s stop-and-start rhythm?

That was the appeal of the 85th Iroquois Races, and it centered on two Irish names with real weight. Zanahiyr arrived with American credentials already on his resume after winning the Grand National Hurdle Stakes at Far Hills last fall, while James Du Berlais came in fresh off a Webster Cup Steeplechase victory at Navan in heavy going. The 10-runner field gave the $250,000 guaranteed race genuine depth, but the transatlantic angle belonged to those two.

The race mattered because the Iroquois is not just another rich stakes on a crowded calendar. It is the longest hurdle stake on the circuit, one of only two Grade I NSA races run at level weights, and a test built more on stamina, balance and timing than brute speed. That makes Percy Warner a hard place for any visitor to master, even one with a strong European line. Proven class overseas can travel well, but three miles over fences in Nashville is a different demand entirely.

Zanahiyr’s case was especially compelling. Jack Kennedy was back aboard for Gordon Elliott, giving the horse a rider-trainer combination that already knew how to win on big stages. James Du Berlais was partnered by Danny Mullins for Leslie Young, and his Navan form suggested he could handle a true test if the pace and ground played to his strengths. The question was not whether either horse had ability. It was whether that ability translated cleanly to Percy Warner’s unique setup.

The Iroquois has long rewarded repeat excellence, but it rarely gives it away easily. Snap Decision’s 2025 victory made him only the second horse in the race’s long history to win it three times, a reminder of how difficult it is to dominate this event year after year. Even with the Derby just days behind the sport at Churchill Downs, the immediate turn to Percy Warner showed how quickly top-level racing can pivot to a different discipline, one where international runners now shape the conversation as often as domestic barns.

With the first race post set for 1:00 p.m. and the combined Iroquois and Willowdale purses reaching $705,000, Nashville again offered more than a specialty race. It offered a measuring stick for whether the best Irish jumpers could bend an American classic to their will.