PROVING he is one of the all-time greats in jumps racing, Berwick jockey Steven Pateman showed his elite pedigree to win jumps racing’s most prestigious individual honour once again.
Pateman, 32, was awarded his eighth Tommy Corrigan Medal in nine years at an awards ceremony this week.
Even without riding in one of the biggest jumps races on the Australian calendar, the Grand National Steeplechase, after an unsuccessful appeal against a careless riding suspension, Pateman still ended up a clear winner on 25 votes, to beat Martin Kelly (12 votes) and equal-third place finishers John Allen and Patrick Flood (11 votes).
The illustrious jockey did guide Patrick Payne’s Fieldmaster to second in the Grand National Hurdle to maintain his high ranking finishes in major events, pipped out in a triple-photo finish alongside King of Dudes and Stand to Gain.
There’s no rest for the in-demand jockey though, as Pateman will lead the Australian jumps team as they battle the Irish in the annual Australia v Ireland Jockey Challenge this week in a three-event challenge at Murray Bridge, Ballarat and Morphettville.
