LEADING local jumps jockey Steve Pateman was back to his best at Warrnambool last Sunday, riding a double and narrowing the margin to two as he chases Johnny Allen at the head of the jumps’ jockey premiership.

With his parents on hand, having travelled from Margaret River in Western Australia, Pateman won the maiden hurdle on I’ll’ava’alf for Patrick Ryan Jnr, before taking out the feature, the A$100,000 Thackeray Steeplechase over 3,450 metres three races later aboard Sea King.