By Michael Manley

It was another Sunday jumps meeting and another great day for Steven Pateman this time not only in the saddle but also as a trainer.

Pateman continued on his winning ways as a jockey with one ride at Sale for an easy victory on Sivar and as a trainer he pulled off the quinella in the feature race, the E-Cycle Solutions BM120 Steeplechase with Historic defeating Power Of Words.

Pateman watched the quinella from the stands as the Rules Of Racing stipulate that he can’t ride in a race whereas a trainer he has multiple runners.

Pateman said he gained special satisfaction from the quinella as both Historic and Power Of Words were pulled up at their previous starts.

Pateman said it was a long drive back from Murray Bridge after Historic’s previous start.

“The horse in front of him, Searaven, pinched a nerve and came back on top of him so there wasn’t much I could do about it so I had to ease him out of the race,” Pateman said.

“Power Of Words choked down at Pakenham and we took his headgear off and put a tongue tie on him.”

Historic was ridden by first season jumps jockey Aaron Mitchell and gave him his fourth winner of which two have been on that horse.

Pateman said Historic was the second jumper he had ever bought and he regarded him as a part of the family.

Pateman had the choice of three in-form jumpers in Saunter Boy, Wil John and Norway who he has been riding for the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace training team, for Sunday’s Grand National Hurdle at Sandown Lakeside and he has made his decision.

He has opted to ride Saunter Boy in preference to Will John and Norway.

“It probably was not that hard a decision. He’s been dominant over the jumps at his past two starts and his flat form has been great. The other horses can beat him but I think I’m on the right one,” Pateman said.

Pateman is chasing his fifth Grand National Hurdle win and his first since Black And Bent in 2013.

Pateman said he was thrilled to have ridden a winner for Warrnambool trainer Peter Lafferty who trained Sivar to win the BM114 Hurdle.

“I’ve been wanting to ride a winner for Laff for a while so I’m glad I’ve finally done it.”

Lafferty said he hadn’t trained a jumper for a few years and enjoyed having one in his team.

Lafferty said it was a long drive from Warrnambool to Sale and he and his wife arrived there on Saturday and stayed overnight at local trainer Ian Hutchins' property.

“That’s only his second jumping start so I’m hoping he has a bit of a future over it," Lafferty said.

Leading jumps trainer Eric Musgrove believes he has added a more than handy jumper to his team in Tamarack who made an outstanding jumps debut when he easily won the Maiden Hurdle by 5.2 lengths.

Musgrove purchased the former Sydney Tamarack as a tried horse for $22,500 on-line.

“He looks a natural stayer. I’m very happy with him. Sometimes at their first outing they can trial well and do everything right but under race pressure it’s quite often a lot different. I’m very happy with him – he found the line good,” Musgrove said.

Musgrove said jumping had re-invigorated Tamarack.

“Before we bought him I thought he’d switched off on the flat. I know he’d been a very honest horse but he’d lost interest in racing.”

Tamarack’s jockey Darryl Horner Junior was also impressed by the win and was taken aback by his turn of foot.

“He shocked me how quickly he got there. I went from not travelling to in front probably too early,” Horner Junior said.

“He knows how to win races this horse he’s a pretty good old horse. He put them away with ease. Without going the early crow I think we’ve got a pretty nice horse,” he said.