Champion Cranbourne jumper Personal Drum, ridden by Craig Durden, followed its Grand National Steeplechase win with victory in Saturday’s Hiskens Steeplechase at Moonee Valley.By Marc McGowan
CRANBOURNE trainer Chris Hyland has carried on the family tradition of success from his champion trainer and jockey father, Pat.
This was after his horse Personal Drum confirmed its reputation as the state’s premier jumper by capturing the prestigious Grand National Steeplechase – Hiskens Steeplechase double after a close second in the Australian Steeplechase in June.
The horse is now almost certain to be invited to the world’s richest steeplechase, the Nakayama Grand Jump, after becoming the first horse since Palace Sympathy, in 1997, to complete the feature double.
“I believe he’s about 99 per cent sure of being invited after what he has achieved,” he said.
Hyland has no qualms about tackling the Japanese race if the invite is forthcoming, in what would be his first overseas trip with a horse.
“It’s just a good challenge; you don’t know if you’ll get another opportunity to race overseas again,” he said.
The success also made Personal Drum the obvious choice as the winner of the Jim Houlahan Jumps Championship Award as the leading jumps horse for the season.
“If you can win any of the features I’ve always thought, you’ve had a pretty good season,” Hyland said, whose retired horse Liquid Lunch won the Grand National Steeplechase in just its second career steeplechase start last year.
Fellow Cranbourne trainer Eric Musgrove has won the Nakayama Grand Jump the past two years, with his horse Karasi, which has given Hyland hope that Personal Drum can achieve the feat as well.
“It’s a bit hard to say, but Liquid Lunch was always competitive with Karasi when they raced over here and I think this horse (Personal Drum) might be better than Liquid Lunch,” he said.
