Merci Mont Saint surprise victor in Nakayama Grand Jump

In a surprise finish that saw a horse by a similar name upset overwhelming favorite Merci A Time, darkhorse Merci Mont Saint bested the 14-strong field of the international invitational Nakayama Grand Jump.

Merci Mont Saint took the 12th running of race at Nakayama Racecourse on Saturday, holding his ground over Open Garden in a thrilling three-way wrap for the win. The 5-year-old Merci Mont Saint, the eighth pick, held off fifth choice Open Garden by a neck, followed by second-pick Towa Vega a further two lengths behind.

Rain and snow from the previous evening and into the morning had turned the course sloppy, but frontrunner T.M. Toppazure pulled the field over the 12 jumps over nine obstacles at a brisk pace. Guilty Strike held second position for most of the race, with overwhelming race favorite Merci A Time maintaining position rear of mid-pack until the only mishap of the race. At the No. 8 obstacle, with only three jumps to go, Merci A Time stumbled over the fence, upsetting jockey Yuzo Shirahama. Shirahama, who had ridden Spring Ghent to victory in the 2009 Nakayama Grand Jump, was thrown to the outside and into the path of another runner. Fortunately, he was able to quickly spring to his feet and run from harm's way.

With T.M. Toppazure still holding the lead, Open Garden moved up into second position. With one jump to go, Merci Mont Saint, who had kept within striking distance of the front for the race first half, moved up on the second lap third turn, and passed Open Garden as the field turned for the final obstacle and home. Over the final jump, T.M. Toppazure ran out of gas and the race turned into a heated battle between Open Garden on the outside and Merci Mont Saint on the inside. Ahead by half a length, Merci Mont Saint fought gallantly, refusing to give up ground as 2009 Pegasus Jump Stakes winner Open Garden poured on the speed, reaching to within a neck of eventual winner.

Towa Vega, who was going for his third-straight win in three starts this year, accelerated sharply in the final meters for a third-place finish. The 12th pick D'Or Riviere and seventh choice Tokai Policy finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively, while T.M. Toppazure faded quickly in the stretch to finish in sixth place.

Merci Mont Saint clocked 5 minutes, 3.5 seconds over 4,250 meters. Coming off a sixth-place finish in the Pegasus Stakes, Merci Mont Saint scored only his second win with the Nakayama Grand Jump and is now 2-for-21, with one second for his career (2-for-11 in jump races).

Winning jockey Yosuke Kono picked up his first victory of the Nakayama Grand Jump and first win of a Grade 1 race overall. Winning trainer, the Ritto-based Kohei Take, who had also fielded the favorite Merci A Time, also took home his first victory in the Grand Jump, his fourth top-level victory overall.

The 5-year-old bay Merci Mont Saint is by Admire Vega out of the Diamond Shoal mare Kanesho Dia. He was bred at Mitsuishi Farm in Mitsuishi, Hokkaido, and is owned by Yasuo Nagai, owner of Merci A Time as well.