KEY POINTS:
Top jumps jockey Joanne Rathbone has two good rides in the Great Northern races today which could help ease the pains she has endured this year.
The Wanganui rider has been sidelined for three months after suffering three significant injuries in a year she described as "pretty up
and down".
She broke a collarbone at the Great Western meeting in Southland in April and was put out of action for five weeks.
Then she endured another four weeks away from the racetrack when she broke a wrist at the Hawkes Bay Steeplechase meeting in June.
She was also stood down for three weeks after being concussed in a race fall at Riccarton last month. "I've probably been on the sidelines more than I have ridden this year," Rathbone said yesterday.
But when she has been in action she has usually been right in the thick of things.
She rode Black Eagle to win the Waikato Steeplechase in May and shared honours with Tom Hazlett in the jumps' jockey premiership for the 2006-07 season with 14 wins.
And at Ellerslie today she says she is fighting fit again to ride Jump To It in the Great Northern Steeplechase and Pasco in the Great Northern Hurdles.
Both have the credentials to feature in the two $100,000 races.
Jump To It has been one of the finds of the year with seven starts - all in steeplechases - for four wins, a second and a third.
His only time out of the prize money this year was in the Wellington Steeplechase in July when he was run off at a fence by a rival runner.
Jump To It bounced back at his next start to win the $50,000 Rotorua and Bay of Plenty Hunt Cup (4900m) at Rotorua on July 25 and last start was third in the $40,000 Pakuranga Hunt Cup (4900m) at Ellerslie on August 25.
The Pakuranga Hunt Cup included two trips over the Ellerslie hill course and Rathbone said she was not concerned at how the grey would cope with today's marathon with three times over the hill.
"I don't think it should worry him too much. He's pretty tough and he keeps on going," she said.
Jump To It is a frontrunner. While many would question any horse being able to lead most of the way over such a long journey, Rathbone said there was little point holding him back.
"As long as the horse is settled and going along nicely, I wouldn't have a problem with leading.
"It's just that he usually jumps himself to the lead because he jumps so well.
"I'll see what happens but obviously I'm not going to stop him from jumping well."
* Jump To It was last night fourth favourite at $5 on the New Zealand TAB's fixed-odds market.
Ahead of him were Hypnotize ($3.50) and Stitched and Real Tonic ($3.80).
- NZPA