Outstanding young rider Chad Schofield looks set to be cleared to ride in the up-coming Spring Carnival after x-ray’s confirmed his neck injury has healed.
Chad Schofield has set the 9th of August for his return to the saddle. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Schofield was one of three riders who fell at Cranbourne on June 8 and was transferred to Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital where doctors diagnosed the young jockey with a C3 vertabra fracture and he was lucky to escape any surgery.
The Cox Plate winning jockey broke the news on twitter that he can begin his rehabilitation and anticipates being fit to resume riding on August 9th and in time to be in full swing for the Spring Carnival.
“Just received my latest X-ray results, it’s healed fully, which means I can begin my rehab with the aim to resume riding on the 9th of August,” Schofield tweeted.
Schofield was still on a high when he arrived at Cranbourne on June 8 after riding his fourth Group 1 winner the previous day at Eagle Farm on Sonntag in the $500,000 Channel Seven Queensland Derby (2400m).
At last year’s Spring Carnival, Schofield, still riding as an apprentice, rode with maturity way above his years to score an all the way the win on Shamus Award in the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 26.
The young jockey continued to make his presence felt among the senior riding ranks and guided super sprinter Lankan Rupee to a sensational win in the Group 1 $1m Lexus Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 8.
Then he added the Group 1 $400,000 Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on April 26 to his resume after scoring on the Leon Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas trained Go Indy Go.
Schofield is certain to make his presence felt straight away when he returns to the saddle after making the transition from being the leading apprentice to the senior jockey ranks with relative ease.
“Everyone says when you first come out of your time, it’s the hardest time in your career, but for me, it’s been the best time of my career,’’ Schofield told The Daily Telegraph.
“For me, I went ‘bang bang’ and rode some Group 1 (winners), so I was very fortunate the transition was prosperous.”
Schofield had ridden twenty-seven metropolitan winners when he suffered his injuries at Cranbourne and is currently sharing ninth spot in the Melbourne jockey’s premiership with Dwayne Dunn and Luke Nolen.
Damien Oliver is set to win his ninth Melbourne jockey’s title and sits on fifty-nine winners with Glen Boss his nearest rival on forty, one ahead of Brad Rawiller.
