By JARROD POTTER
NEW YORK is calling for Berwick-based jumps-racing jockey Steven Pateman after he secured an international ride at the illustrious Saratoga Racecourse.
Pateman, 31, flew out of Melbourne on Monday to pursue his international riding ambitions in America after he secured rides in New York through a Kiwi jockey’s interest.
His path over to the States was set up on the whims of another jockey – as a reference from New Zealand jockey Craig Thornton helping him secure the spot.
“A New Zealand jockey who came over to ride in the Grand National Hurdle about a month ago – Craig Thornton – was a champion jockey in America and he was riding there for about a decade and said I should go there,” Pateman said.
“I said that would be great and didn’t really push the whole thing but he ended up making a few calls and got me a couple of rides at Saratoga and a few good contacts.”
Thornton’s advances to American trainers paid off for Pateman who was given a chance to ride for Arch Kingsley Jr. today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday) and he hopes to gain a couple more rides next week to round out the international experience.
“It’s hopefully a bit of a short stop and get some contacts and make a good impression to get some more rides over there in October-November when we don’t have any racing over here,” Pateman said.
“It would be good to prolong my jumps season and good for my weight to have another couple of months’ riding.”
He will ride Kingsley Jr’s Top Striker, a five-year-old gelding out of Van Nistelrooy in Thursday’s $75,000 Stakes – race one on the card.
“It’s great and it’s exciting – the number one thing is it’s exciting and hope I can promote Australian jumps racing well.”
Pateman is an unbackable favourite for his seventh Tommy Corrigan Medal as Australia’s best jumps-racing jockey after securing a win in the Grand National Hurdle and is ranked number one in the jumps premiership after winning 15 of his 37 starts this season.
The perennially modest Pateman said the year had its great moments and he could not fault his 2014 on the track.
“I had some great highlights,” Pateman said.
“No complaints at all about a really good season.”
