Ginolad Finishes Sixth
Australian Ginolad has finished sixth in this afternoon's Group 1 Nakayama Grand Jump (4250m).
The race run at 4:40pm (EST) was won by local galloper Spring Ghent, at nine years of age, who along with the Australian was the oldest entrant in the field.
King Joy, winner of Japan's only other Group 1 steeplechase (Nakayama Daishogai) in December and race favourite was only beaten a neck in second placing.
Ginolad finished a great distance away from the winner, crossing the line 5.5 seconds after Spring Ghent. The race time was 2.1 seconds from the race record set by Blandice in 2004 with a time of 4:47.0.
Today's race was the last Ginolad will have for Warrnambool based trainer Aaron Purcell. A $900 purchase from a Sydney dispersal sale, Ginolad has been sold to UK trainer Ventilla Williams.
Williams recently celebrated success in the UK Grand National at Aintree with steeplechaser Mon Mome who won at odds of 100/1.
Winner of the Group 2 Pegasus Jump (3250m), Open Garden, finished third.
Worth 152,760,000 Japanese Yen, the Nakayama Grand Jump is worth around $2.1 million in Australian dollars with $1.125 million going to the winner.
Unfortunately for connections only the first five across the line gain a slice of the prizemoney.
It was trainer Aaron Purcell's first ever runner in the Nakayama Grand Jump while for jockey Craig Durden he was unable to improve on his sixth placing on Personal Drum back in 2007.
PIC - Fiona Tomli
© Cyberhorse 2009 Carl Di Iorio Published 18/04/09
http://www.jra.go.jp/JRADB/asx/2009/06/200903060711h.asx