GINOLAD This week STALLIONS looks at the pedigree of GINOLAD. Ginolad gave his connections another major thrill last Saturday when he won the $252,000 Grand National Steeplechase (4350m) at Flemington. A seven-year-old gelding, Ginolad added Flemington’s winter jumps feature to his resume along with his memorable win in the Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool in May. Ridden in a confident manner by Brad McLean, Ginolad was able to race a lot closer to the pace than at his previous start when a well beaten seventh in the Crisp Steeplechase behind Geeorb a week earlier. The Grand National was run at a good tempo with Geeorb left alone out front when the race favourite Toulouse Lautrec fell in the early part of the race. Geeorb was able to get many lengths out in front of his rivals and it was up to Isti Bee to issue the first challenge to the front runner. Ginolad was running on behind him ahead of Jamraan and Father Patrick. Ginolad got the better of Isti Bee after they rounded the home turn and although he made a mess of the last jump Ginolad recovered well to go on and score a eight length win over the ever consistent Jamraan and Father Patrick. Ginolad was at the end of his flat racing career when he was sent by his previous owners to the William Inglis Autumn Thoroughbred sale where young Warrnambool trainer Aaron Purcell had gone looking for likely jumpers. Purcell paid just $900.00 for the son of Perugino. In turn, Ginolad has now repaid his new owners that include his trainer with more than $375,000 in prizemoney and in winning the Grand National he became the first horse in 27 years,and just the fourth in history, to win the Grand Annual-Grand National double in the same year. Purcell said he selected Ginolad because he was a strong type of horse and he wasn’t bothered by the fact he was by Perugino, a sire of sprinter milers, as he thought he looked as though he had thrown more to his sires' three-quarter brother, Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer-Fairy Bridge by Bold Reason), a stallion whose progeny he had dealt with during his time in Ireland. As a racehorse Sadler’s Wells was a Irish 2000 Guineas, Eclipse Stakes and a three-time winner of the Phoenix Champion Stakes. However, it as a sire he will be best remembered as he has produced 271 stakes winners and 71 of those are group one winners. He has proved that he is one of the great sires in thoroughbred history with runners like the English Derby winners Galileo and High Chaparral, Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe winners like Montjeu and Carnegie, English Oaks/Irish Derby winner Salsabil, Breeders’ Cup Turf winners In the Wings (sire of Singspiel), Yeats the winner of three Ascot Gold Cups, 2,000 Guineas and Queen Anne Stakes winner, Refuse to Bend and winners like Barathea, Milan, Ballingarry and Kayf Tara, it’s no wonder his dynasty has spread worldwide. In Australia Sadler’s Wells is represented by his sons in the mould of Scenic (Blevic, Due Sasso and Universal Prince), Carnegie (Amalfi) and Barathea (Easy Rocking). Ginolad’s is out of the Listed winner, High Royale (by King’s High), a winner of nine events from 1100 to 1600m. She is the dam of six foals, four have of them have raced and all are winners with Ginolad being her star performer. The female line suggests she would produce a sprinter’s; however, her great grandam, the unraced Callendale Road (by Estaminet) did produce a Hurdle winner, Apache.
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