CHAMPION jumps jockey Steve Pateman booked his Warrnambool Grand Annual Steeplechase ride after he guided Zed Em to a brilliant victory in the $165,000 Great Eastern Steeplechase at Oakbank on Saturday.
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The Patrick Payne-trained Zed Em defeated his stablemate No Song No Supper to give Pateman his fifth victory in South Australia’s feature jumping race and Payne’s fourth.
Pateman told The Standard he was looking forward to riding Zed Em in the grand annual.
“Zed Em is in awesome form,” he said. “He travelled really well in the Great Eastern. I’m confident he’ll run out a strong 5500 metres in the annual – previously he may have been a distance doubt but not now. He’s a more relaxed horse this season. Full credit to Kevin Myers and Patrick for getting Zed Em to settle in his races. He’s a tough jumper who is a strong stayer and loves wet ground.”
The West Australian-born jumps jockey is chasing his third Grand Annual Steeplechase win.
“I rate Zed Em as one of the best jumpers I’ve ridden,” Pateman said. “He’s up there with the best and I’ve been lucky to have ridden some top jumpers during my career. He’s got a top record around Warrnambool with wins in the Brierly and Thackeray steeplechases and the grand annual would be the icing on the cake if we could win it.”
Warrnambool’s Jarrod McLean, who has more than 20 horses in work in his own right as well being stable foreman for Darren Weir’s satellite operation trained two winners at Oakbank on Saturday.
