STEVEN Pateman thought he would never win another Grand Annual Steeplechase.
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But Zed Em provided him with another top ride to claim his third victory in the time-honoured jumps race at the 2019 TAB May Racing Carnival.
The Patrick Payne-trained brown gelding emerged three lengths clear to turn the table on last year's champion Gold Medals, trained by Symon Wilde, to provide Pateman with another happy memory at the annual carnival.
With three wins to his name Pateman, who secured his first two victories in 2011-12, said the joy of winning the prestigious race was still as high as his first.
"Grand Annual is the most special race to win for a jumps jockey. It's our Melbourne Cup and it's bigger than that for me," the 36-year-old said.
"I was always afraid to win a Grand Annual because I know how difficult it is with everything that needs to go right then I started to get afraid I would never win another one.
"I'm happy that the horse got it because he deserved to win one after being so stiff last year and now he met that horse on equal weights so the better horse won."
Pateman, who since Sunday has also eaten an omelette his wife made on Wednesday night in a bid to keep his weight down for lighter rides, was thankful Zed Em's teammate was there to give him a hand.
"I was worried about Newbury before the race but he probably help us get a sit," the country's leading jumps jockey said.
"If I had of gone with Newbury with a lap to go we would have gone to hard and got beaten. His (Zed Em) jumping was awesome. Newbury bumped him at the top of the hill last time and it definitely effected him.
"But he had enough gas to pinch it before the home straight. I knew I had it at the winning past because last year we got swamped and the last 100 I was done.
"But I knew he had a little bit of fight bit I was very concerned about some of the lightweights that had wings."
In 2018 Zed Em finished second after Gold Medals ran him down to claim the Brierly-Grand Annual double for Symon Wilde.
The eight-year-old, who was carrying 70 kilograms, rewrote the weight-carrying record with victory in this year's edition of the race.
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Sean Hardeman
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
