Cox Plate winning jockey Chad Schofield is set to miss the start of the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival after being suspended for a month at Caulfield last Saturday.
Chad Schofield and Bring Me The Maid after winning at Flemington. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Schofield will appeal against the severity of the suspension after stewards bought two cases of careless riding against the young jockey.
Stewards claimed Schofield shifted in on his mount You’re So Good between the 900m and the 700m of the Australian Defence Force Handicap (1100m) causing interference to Bloomingdale Miss (Daniel Moor) and Esprit’s Choice (Dean Yendall).
Schofield was also found guilty for causing interference near the winning post when he allowed his mount to shift in again tightening the running of Danestroem (Jackie Beriman).
“It’s high range and it went on too long,” Chief Stewards Terry Bailey told Schofield.
“We’re tired of it. Everyone is tired of it.
“And there was a similar lack of respect in your evidence in here.”
Schofield hit back, saying that he thought that he was being victimised and said that he did respect his fellow riders.
“I do have respect for them,” Schofield said.
Schofield was due to renew his association with the Peter Moody trained Bring Me The Maid in the Group 2 $175,000 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday but if he fails in his appeal is out until September 18.
Schofield had been the regular rider for Bring Me The Maid and had partnered the filly at all her four starts including a third to Mossfun in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill during the Sydney Autumn Carnival.
He was also aboard the Sebring filly when she won her previous start, beating subsequent Group 1 Sires’ winner Peggy Jean in the Group 2 $175,000 IRT Magic Night Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on March 29.
Schofield also steered Bring Me The Maid to a debut win over 1000m in the Listed $120,000 Sports 1000 at Flemington on March 1.
Adelaide filly Go Indy Go is also due to return to the racetrack at the end of August for the Spring Carnival with Schofield also planning to renew his association after the pair combined to win the Group 1 $400,000 Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on April 26.
Schofield has only been back in the saddle since August 6 after spending several months on the sidelines after fracturing his C3 vertabra in a fall at Cranbourne on June 8 and was hoping to get his momentum going for another successful Spring campaign after claiming his first Group 1 win in last year’s $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on the front running Shamus Award.
Following his win in the Cox Plate, Schofield continued his rise up through the jockey’s ranks and collected his second Group 1 trophy when 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 Champagne Stakes at Randwick on April 26 to his resume after scoring on the Leon Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas trained Go Indy Go before heading to Brisbane for the Winter Carnival where he took out the Group 1 $500,000 Channel Seven Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 7 on Sonntag for Caulfield trainer Henry Dwyer.
