Australia's sole representative in the Nakayama Grand Jump, Ginolad, left for Japan on Monday with his trainer Aaron Purcell.Last winter the eight-year-old became only the fourth horse and the first in 27 years to complete the Warrnambool Grand Annual Steeplechase-Grand National Steeplechase double.The gelding, who hasn't raced over obstacles since finishing seventh behind Some Are Bent in the Hiskens Steeple (3712m) at Moonee Valley last July, has had five flat runs on provincial tracks to fit

Australia's sole representative in the Nakayama Grand Jump, Ginolad, left for Japan on Monday with his trainer Aaron Purcell.

Last winter the eight-year-old became only the fourth horse and the first in 27 years to complete the Warrnambool Grand Annual Steeplechase-Grand National Steeplechase double.

The gelding, who hasn't raced over obstacles since finishing seventh behind Some Are Bent in the Hiskens Steeple (3712m) at Moonee Valley last July, has had five flat runs on provincial tracks to fit him for his two assignments in Japan.

"He's fit enough to run in a steeplechase next," Purcell said before his departure.

"Before the Grand Annual he had five flat runs and one hurdle so it will be a similar preparation as that and the race is 1000 metres shorter so I'm pretty sure fitness won't be a problem."

Ginolad will run in the Pegasus Jump (3350m) on March 28 leading up to the $1.79 million Grand Jump (4250m), which is the world's richest steeplechase, three weeks later on April 18.

Purcell said Ginolad had spent the last 10 days in quarantine before the trip and would have do another week on arrival in Japan.

"I haven't had a lot of time to stop and think about it with preparing for the trip and the other horses in work, but once I get to Japan it'll sink in about what a great experience it will be for me," Purcell said.

Purcell said Ginolad, who cost only $900 at a Sydney dispersal sale and has since won over $370,000, was going equally as well as he was last year.

"He's had very few problems this time in. I'm very happy with the horse and I don't see any reason why he wouldn't run as well as he did last year," he said.

Craig Durden, who won the Grand Annual on Ginolad, will ride him in Japan.

The horse will be opposed to a field of Japanese horses as well as three other international horses, two from England and one Ireland.