GINOLAD, the horse which cost his owners just $900, will be given a chance at jumps racing history on Saturday when he attempts to add the Hiskens Steeplechase to his thrilling Grand Annual and Grand National steeplechase victories.

The seven-year-old's trainer, Aaron Purcell, said yesterday he had given the horse the all-clear to contest the Hiskens as he was showing no signs of leg or back injuries that had plagued his career.

"At this stage he's running," Purcell said. "He's come through well since the National and he's feeling pretty good."

Purcell realises the task facing Ginolad, which won the 5500-metre Grand Annual at Warrnambool in May before taking the 4350m Grand National last month.

"Usually once a horse wins the Annual you put a line through him for the rest of the season, but he keeps coming up," he said. "If he jumps a clean round and gets into a good position, you never know, but I didn't think he'd win another race this season let alone two, so I'm more hopeful than confident."

No horse has won all three "majors" in the one season and only four horses have won the first two legs. Last month, Ginolad became the first horse since Kaimoto in 1981 to complete the Grand Annual-Grand National Steeple double in the one season.

Ginolad would earn his owners almost $400,000 from his feature jumps successes if he wins on Saturday - not a bad return on the $900 Purcell paid for the horse early last year.

Purcell said he would see if the likely Hiskens favourite, Some Are Bent, accepted before nominating a rider as Ginolad's jockey, Brad McLean, would be committed to ride for trainer Robert Smerdon.

The champion jumper of last season, Some Are Bent's place in the Hiskens depends on how he schools over the fences at Moonee Valley this morning, according to Smerdon.

"The idea tomorrow is for him to trial over the fences in what should be pretty testing conditions and, look, if he does well and comes through it well, the Hiskens is more likely than the [Moonee Valley] hurdle," he said. "It would be 75-25 that he'd run in the Hiskens."