I've had 12 rides. From the 12 rides I've been fortuante to have won the race twice.

The Annual is the hardest race for any jumps jockey to win and it's the race that all jumps jockeys want to win.

It's the holy grail of jumps racing. It's a challenging race run on a unique circuit. It's a fun race to ride in - you've got to have the right horse to win the race. The Annual can change so dramatically within a few strides.

My win on Al Garhood in 2011 was special because the horse was trained by my good mate Ciaron Maher. My other win was on Awakening Dream in 2012.  He was trained by Patrick Payne. Ciaron and Patrick are both top trainers.

I've been lucky that they have offered me so much support during my career as a jumps jockey. Other trainers who have been great supporters during my career are Eric Musgrove and Robbie Laing.

You've won the two Grand Annuals. Which ones should you have won?

The one I should have won was on the Robbie Laing-trained Sir Pentire in 2009.

I had done a lot of the work on Sir Pentire but I doubted Robbie when he said he had the horse right.

I was probably too young to understand how well Robbie had Sir Pentire going.

Sir Pentire’s win was one of the greatest training performances we've ever seen.

Sir Pentire had not raced for  two years and he comes out and wins the Grand Annual - that's stuff that dreams are made of.

When should jumps jockeys make their run to win the Grand Annual?

It all depends on the horse. It's all about timing – over the years some jockeys have gone for home too early. I reckon after jumping the last double at Tozer Road you've got to be winding the horse up but as I said it depends on the horse, ideally it’s between the third-last and second-last jump when you're really going for it.

Steve, one of your old favorites Bashboy has been retired due to an age clause introduced by racing officials. How good was Bashboy?

He was a champion. I know everyone says this horse is a champion or that one is a champion but Bashboy was. I think he could have went overseas and won races. His record was incredible winning 14 of 19 jumps races. I was totally gutted when they said he could not race on past July 31. I thought that decision was a disgrace because I knew Ciaron would not have kept on running Bashboy if there was anything wrong with him.

Any other great horses you have ridden?

Another top horse I've ridden is Black And Bent. I won countless jumps races on him. His trainer Robert Smerdon did an amazing job. Black And Bent raced over hurdles as a three-year-old and was still competing in jumps races when he was a 10-year-old which is testimony to Robert’s ability.

Steve, over the past few years there has been a strong influx of Irish born jockeys to jumps racing. How has that worked out?

It's been a God send for our jumps industry. There were really not many Australians putting their hands up to ride in jumps races so it's worked out great that they are here riding in the races. The Irish boys are all talented horseman.

Who are the toughest jumps jockey to ride against?

Good question. I would have to say John Allen. He's an excellent horseman who does not give one quarter in a race. His talent is there for everyone to see as he's also a top flat jockey as well as a top jumps jockey. He's a very accomplished horseman who has the Darren Weir factor behind him. Weiry has a production line of potentially top jumpers in his stable and Johnny is there to ride them.

Was Steve Pateman always going to be a jumps jockey?

No. I thought at one stage I might have been a good AFL footballer - or I wished I was going to be. I'll never forget my days of playing junior footy. I was a lightweight footballer who used to think I went alright but sadly my dad reminded  me I was pretty ordinary. The old man has a great way of not sugar coating anything.

Where did you get the break to be one of Australia's most successful jumps jockey?

I reckon I was 16-years-old riding a few eventers around back home at  Margaret River when the chance came up for me to go on a summer holiday to Lindsay Park at Angaston for the Hayes stable. The late Peter Hayes, brother of David was running Lindsay Park at the time. Tony McEvoy was there and so was John Cornell and it's the first time that I met Ciaron. He thought he was pretty smooth with the old Commodore car. Ciaron sort of took me under his wing for a while but he was too smooth for me. Johnny Cornell suggested I should be a jumps jockey and then Jan Morrison from my old pony club at Margaret River was in the background also saying I should be a jumps jockey.

It's all worked out pretty good. I was just so fortunate to go to Lindsay Park as it was a wonderful place to learn. I was there for more than three years before moving to Victoria.

Can you remember your first ride in a jumps race?

Yes. I was 17-years old. It was in a hurdle race at Gawler on a horse called Just Dynamite. I was 56kg. I thought I gave it a great ride and I was hooked on jumps racing from that day on.

You've achieved so much in jumps racing. How many more years does Steve Pateman contiune riding over jumps?

I'm looking forward to a busy few months of riding in jumps races here over the winter months before heading  to Ireland at the end of September to ride for five months. That's the next stage in my career. I'm 33 years old and have my weight under control. I'm really fit and confident and barring accidents I can continue riding in jumps races until I'm 40 years old.