Chad Schofield to ride Happy Trails in Memsie Stakes

Adelaide trainer Paul Beshara has placed his faith in top Melbourne apprentice Chad Schofield to boost Happy Trails’ chances in a star studded Group 1 $350,000 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

Chad Schofield

Top Melbourne apprentice Chad Schofield will be the new rider for Happy Trails in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.

Happy Trials is one of eleven Group 1 winners nominated for the Memsie Stakes but Beshara is condfident that Schofiled will have great chance to grab his first Group 1 victory.

“Chad will ride him in the Memsie and he’s one of the best young jockeys in Australia because he’s hungry for winners so let’s hope this is his first Group 1,” Beshara told Racing Vicroia

The elevation of the Memsie Stakes to Group 1 status for the first time this year has  rewarded the Melbourne Racing Club with a very high quality field which is worthy of the top billing it is getting.

Happy Trails collected his first Group 1 victory with a nose win over Fawkner in the Group 1 $1m Emirates Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on the last day of last year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival with Damien Oliver aboard.

Even though Beshara is super confident that Schofield will do the job and deliver Happy Trails’ second Group 1 victory, Oliver will be back aboard for the rest of  the Spring Carnival when he returns from his suspension for betting on September 13.

“I think he’ll win it,” Beshara said.

“Obviously there’s the rest of the field to contend with but I just feel that he can reel off good sectional times and get a decent draw he can go one better than last year.”

Even though Happy Trials was beaten first up when fifth to Just Discreet in the Group 3 $115,000 Adelaide Galvanising Spring Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville on August 10,  Beshara is happy to forget the run after the six year old was never out of trouble.

Happy Trails will have to be at the top of his game if he is to mix it with the likes of Atlantic Jewel, It’s A Dundeel, Sincero and Super Cool.

The Mark Kavanagh trained unbeaten multiple Group 1 winner Atlantic Jewel is resuming from a long break because of a leg injury but has performed well in a couple of jumpouts while stablemate Super Cool is having his first run back since winning the Group 1 $1m Darley Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington in the Autumn.

New Zealand star It’s A Dundeel will be perfectly suited by the 1400m first up after proving that he was the superior three year old during the Sydney Autumn Carnival when he collected the Triple Crown for his age group.

It’s A Dundeel took all before him in Sydney with Group 1 wins in the $550,000 Hyland Race Colours Royal Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Warwick Farm, the $500,000 M. J. Bale Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill and the $1.5m David Jones Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick.

Other Group 1 winners nominated for the Memsie Stakes are Melbourne Cup winner Green Moon, Australian Guineas winner Ferlax, Queensland Derby winner Hawkspur, former Perth trianed Luckygray and Kiwi stars King Mufhasa and Silent Achiever.

Happy Trails main Spring target will be the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 26.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.