HAVING landed 73 winners last season, including a maiden Group 1 in the South Australian Derby, Johnny Allen is showing no signs of easing.

Just one week into the new flat season, he has four wins, including one of Sunday’s features, the $125,000 Crisp Steeple. Over Sandown’s 3,900 metres, the race was viewed as a contest between the Patrick Payne stablemates Sea King and Zed Em.

Misfortune struck Sea King early, as Steven Pateman was dislodged on the flat. Now riderless, Sea King stayed with the field, running up to his stablemate Zed Em who headed the field.

The unwanted distraction wasn’t helping Brad McLean, who was doing his best as Sea King flushed Zed Em into over-racing.

Off the pace, I’ll’ava’alf and Lucky Tonight chimed in just before the last to take on the tiring Zed Em. The pair battled up the straight with Allen getting one last effort from I’ll’ava’alf to win by three-quarters of a length over Richard Cully on Lucky Tonight, and Zed Em stayed on to finish third.

“I was a bit further back than ideal, but you kind of just worry about your own race and just try and ride a race,” said Allen, who was having his first start on the Patrick Ryan jumper, who had lost his rider, Steven Pateman, at his first steeple start at Casterton in late July.

“He took a bit of skin off after coming down at Casterton,” said the Warrnambool trainer.

“We’ve done no real work with I’ll’ava’alf since the fall, only led him off the pony down at the beach and ran him on the flat last Thursday. It was a great ride by Johnny Allen.

“I’ll’ava’alf’s got a big ticker, we’ll now look at running him in the Grand National Steeplechase on August 21st.”