Outsider Man Of Class has given Irish jockey Tom Ryan his first Australian success in the Grand National Steeplechase at Sandown.Ryan, 27, who visited Australia with the Irish jumps team in 2005, returned to Melbourne in January and was elated after getting home on the $51 chance in a photo finish over Kerdem."Winning a $200,000 race isn't bad," Ryan said.Ryan, who rode for Michael O'Brien in Ireland, rated Sunday's win as one of his biggest in 10 years as a jockey."I rode winner at Cheltenham a

Outsider Man Of Class has given Irish jockey Tom Ryan his first Australian success in the Grand National Steeplechase at Sandown.

Ryan, 27, who visited Australia with the Irish jumps team in 2005, returned to Melbourne in January and was elated after getting home on the $51 chance in a photo finish over Kerdem.

"Winning a $200,000 race isn't bad," Ryan said.

Ryan, who rode for Michael O'Brien in Ireland, rated Sunday's win as one of his biggest in 10 years as a jockey.

"I rode winner at Cheltenham and this not far off it," Ryan said.

"An Australian National, you don't get much better than that.'

Ryan decided to try his luck in Australia to re-ignite his career.

"I've had a lot of injuries and it went a bit quiet at home so that is why I decided to come over here."

While it has been a struggle to get a winner, the signs were encouraging at the Oakbank carnival where he finished third on Fasilenko in the Great Eastern Steeplechase and third on Cash Advance in the Von Doussa Steeplechase.

Man Of Class was to have competed at the same carnival but a swollen hock prevented him from making the trip.

Trainer Ciaran Maher said he had always wanted to win a Grand national, whether it be hurdle or steeplechase, but was unsure Man Of Class, who had been struggling for form on wet tracks would get his chance after he was a tiring sixth in the Crisp Steeplechase two week ago.

"His run in the Crisp was good but his condition gave out after jumping the last," Maher said.

"I wasn't going to run him in this race and had him earmarked for the Irish series in Adelaide but he did so well after the race.

"He is just a real dry tracker and the conditions played in to his hands today."

Ryan rode Man Of Class in the Crisp and was confident that if the horse had improved he would be hard to beat.

"He tired out of it last time but I said that with any bit of improvement in fitness he would be bang there today andsure enough he was"

Maher said Ryan suited the bold jumping Man Of Class who was in the first five throughout the race.

Kerdem looked set to go past him in the straight but Man Of Class rallied under pressure to win by a short head.

Former Melbourne Racing Club chairman Peter Lawrence part-owns Man Of Class and also the Colin and Cindy Alderson-trained Al Karam who finished eight lengths away third.

The Grand National win ranks up with some of Maher's best training performances.

He won the 2007 Group One Emirates Stakes with $101 outsider Tears I Cry and has won the Grand Annual Steeplechase the past two years with Al Garhood.

Only seven of the 12 Grand National runners completed the 4500m course.

Crisp Steeplechase winner Juan Carlos and Pay the Aces both fell while Petushki lost his rider. Corries and Guara Grove Beast were pulled up.

Famous Prince won the prestigious J J Houlahan Jumps Championship as the top performer in the feature jumps races for the year despite being the last horse home in the National.

He scored 40 points to beat Vindicating (34) and Pay The Aces (28).