PATRICK Payne has made a major name for himself in a short time in Melbourne, but it counted for very little in Hong Kong until the final event yesterday. Then Payne produced one of the rides of the meeting to win with Heavily Armed and wrap up a pleasing double for long-serving Geoff Lane, who has been around these parts since before his winning jockey was born. Hong Kong is a tough town to ride in and much depends on just how well a newcomer begins. Despite riding some excellent races, success had eluded Payne - until that last race.
But Payne, who has exquisite hands and balance, was not under any pressure from Lane yesterday. Lane, himself one of the best riders to come out of Melbourne, explained: 'I know what it is like in these situations. All jockeys have runs where the winners don't come and it is hard here. 'But I told Patrick there was no pressure on him at all, to ride the horse as he found him. 'I hated being tied down to instructions when I was riding, particularly when you weren't riding winners.
'I wanted him to go out there with a clear mind and he rode him perfectly throughout. 'He is a good young rider for whom I have a lot of time.' Lane also did an excellent job with Vital Point, the first leg of his winning double. But Lane was the first to pay tribute to senior vet Keith Watkins. 'There are two screws in his near fore cannonbone and it's a miracle that he is racing and has won.
'Keith (Watkins) did the job a year ago, but was reluctant to do it at first because the fracture was that bad. 'Vital Point was in his box for three months. He never came out of it and we had to clean it around him. But it has been worth it,' added Lane, who has no plans to take Vital Point overseas for a race. 'I couldn't get him through Kai Tak. He would set bells ringing all over the place, there's that much metal in him,' he quipped. MONEY must come easy to jockeys judging by the way they end up giving it away. Dual Derby winner Allan Munro, now on holiday in Australia, had a short spell where he was handing over a couple of grand per week for double-booking blunders. Now Greg Childs - and we thought he was a canny Kiwi - is lighter in the pocket by $3,000 for weighing out on Our Pal in the final event without his girth. He had to re-weigh. What could Greg have been thinking about? Maybe riding Top Practitioner for Neville Begg next season? It's certainly a pleasant thought and one of the perks if he does get the nod from Neville. CHAMPION trainer Ivan Allan is mulling over a start in the Queen Mother's Cup for his smart young stayer, Privilege. 'I will make a decision after his work next week, but it is definitely a consideration,' said Allan. The Queen Mother's Cup is one of the more important races on the local calendar, but has cut up very badly this year.
It is also a victim of Jockey Club rules which were changed to prevent the highest rated horse - at the time, River Verdon - competing in the 2,400-metre race. Nothing like being hoist with your own petard.
