KEY POINTS:
Trainer Aaron Purcell will be trying for a fairytale result with bargain buy Ginolad when he makes his steeplechasing debut in tomorrow's Grand National Steeplechase at Sandown.
Warrnambool-based Purcell, who races Ginolad with his family, paid just A$900 ($9800) for the Perugino gelding at a dispersal sale in Sydney earlier this year.
He was one of three horses Purcell bought at the sale with jumping careers in mind but the other two have since gone elsewhere.
Ginolad has already won A$84,100 in prizemoney from just seven starts for his new connections and will be shooting for a first prize cheque of A$162,500 tomorrow.
The 6-year-old has adapted particularly well to jumps racing, having had five hurdle starts for a metropolitan win at Ballarat and three placings.
Those efforts include a third to star jumper Some Are Bent in the L V Lachal Hurdle at Sandown as well as his second to the same horse in the Grand National Hurdle at Sandown last Saturday.
"I bought him because I'd had a Perugino before and he was the most dour horse I've ever had," Purcell said.
When he joined Purcell's stable Ginolad had won two races, a 2100m Gosford maiden and a 1600m Young class one, and been placed on five other occasions from 38 starts.
"He hadn't seen a fence until l late March when I schooled him over hurdles at Warrnambool," Purcell said.
"He made no mistakes and stayed well last week in the Grand National Hurdle, but the Steeple is a bit of an afterthought. It was never really a consideration until he ran so well last Saturday.
"I would have liked to keep him to hurdling but there are no suitable hurdle races left for him now as he's a 4000m horse."
Ginolad qualified to go over the slightly bigger fences by schooling over 10 of them on Tuesday on his home track.
"Because of his stamina it wasn't really an issue for him," Purcell said.
Willy Harnett, who has ridden Ginolad at his past three starts and in Tuesday's school, retains the mount tomorrow.
Also making their 'chasing debuts are the Robbie Laing-trained Pantani and the Gary Carson-prepared Swift Rule who finished almost locked together in third and fourth place respectively in the Grand National Hurdle, 12 lengths behind Ginolad.
With the absence of exciting 'chaser Mazzacano, who broke down after winning the Crisp Steeple, and Ima Tycoon who pulled up lame after finishing third in the Crisp, the race has opened up considerably.
There were 14 final acceptors for tomorrow's feature including Personal Drum, last year's Grand National Steeple and Hiskens victor, and Enzed, the 2005 Grand National Hurdle and 2007 Trevor Clarke Steeple winner.
The Sandown track was yesterday rated a heavy after 22.8mm of rain since last Saturday.
- AAP
