Racing: Pateman notches double

Sea King has the Grand National Hurdle in safekeeping as he clears the last fence. Photo / Getty Images

Victorian hoop rewarded for battle of the scales by winning on Bashboy and Sea King.

Brilliance is not without its hiccups for champion jumps jockey Steven Pateman.

He put on a master class at Sandown yesterday, winning the two feature races on Bashboy and Sea King.

But Pateman's struggles to win the mental battle to keep his weight down have been well documented and earlier in the season stewards refused to let him ride below 67kg.

"I have a big problem with the scales and the refrigerator and that takes up most of my mindset," Pateman said.

The 67kg limit cost Pateman the ride on the Great Eastern Steeplechase winner Lord Of The Song but he bounced back quickly to win the Brierly Steeplechase at Warrnambool aboard Palmero for Ciaron Maher.

The trainer provided the first leg of Pateman's double with the $1.40 favourite Bashboy claiming the Crisp Steeplechase before the jockey won the Grand National Hurdle on the Patrick Payne-trained Sea King.

Pateman and Bashboy combined to win the Crisp Steeplechase for the third straight season, while the jockey notched his fourth consecutive Grand National Hurdle win on Sea King. "I really appreciate the history of jumps racing and I'm forever amazed by it and there's a chance I'll be a part of it after today," Pateman said.

Sea King started a $6 chance while Gotta Take Care and Indikator jumped as $3.10 equal favourites but the latter duo threatened only briefly at the 800m.

Indikator had enjoyed a perfect trail but did not jump as fluently as usual and might have also preferred a wetter track.

Gotta Take Care was wide most of the way and his challenge was short-lived and made under duress. Sea King was wayward in the straight and Pateman dropped his whip, but the New Zealander was still too strong for the 2011 Sydney Cup winner Stand To Gain ($21), who finished second in the Grand National Hurdle for the second straight year.

"I'd been on the mechanical horse during the week because he drifts in and drifts out so I wanted to make sure I was pretty good at switching to the left and right to keep him straight. I dropped my whip so I just started screaming at him but he had them beaten anyway."

Gotta Take Care struggled late in the race to finish fourth under 71kg in his attempt to claim a $300,000 bonus for winning his third jumps feature of the year.

Kevin Myers sent Sea King to Payne for an Australian campaign and the horse is now two from two on this side of the Tasman.

Bashboy recorded his 11th win in 14 jumps starts in the Crisp Steeplechase, while the A$61,750 winner's cheque took the 10-year-old's earnings over obstacles to more than A$750,000.

"He used to make the odd mistake in his first couple of seasons but now he's in his third season, he's pretty good," Maher said.

Bashboy will attempt to win his third Grand National Steeplechase in a fortnight. Bashboy won the race with 72.5kg last year but could carry as much as 74.5kg on July 27.

- AAP