Champion jumps jockey Steven Pateman finally ticked off the Australian Steeplechase (3900m), guiding Stern Idol to a hard-earned win at Sandown on Sunday.
Carrying a hefty 73kg and giving at least 7kg to his rivals, the $1.85 favourite led for the final 3000m and held off Leaderboard ($9.50) by three-quarters of a length, with Not Usual Dream ($51) a distant third.
“It was pretty lonely after the last with the 73 kilos,” Pateman admitted.
“The Australian Hurdle and the Australian Steeplechase, they are absolutely time-honoured events, so it’s super special.”
Trained by Ciaron Maher, Stern Idol was strategically kept to hurdles earlier in the year to avoid heavy weights.
“Today was a target… he travelled sweetly and wasn’t getting keen,” Pateman said.
The win matched his weight-carrying feat in last year’s Brierly Steeplechase (3400m).
Sadly, Treasured Crown was euthanised following a fall at the second-last, though jockey William McCarthy escaped injury.