Emerging star Chad Schofield is keen to have a trouble free run for the remainder of the Spring Carnival as he returns from suspension with a full book of rides on Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.
Chad Schofield hoping to have a trouble free Spring Carnival. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Schofield was suspended after stewards found him guilty of causing interference in the Australian Defence Force Handicap (1100m) at Caulfield on August 16.
The young jockey has a long list of suspensions which number fifteen since January last year, but he has vowed to work hard to mend his ways and get some winning momentum going for the major Group 1 races over the Spring Carnival.
“I feel all the suspensions I’ve had … have definitely held me back, held me down and I feel that I am not the rider I am because of my suspensions,” Schofield told the Herald Sun.
“And I am confident I know what I am doing wrong and I will be doing my very best to erase that problem and hopefully have a consistent carnival filled with momentum and not having to stop and start with suspensions all the time.”
Schofield had only returned to race riding on 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.
Among Schofield’s nine rides at Flemington is the 2012 Melbourne Cup winner Green Moon in the Group 1 $400,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) where he will come up against his father Glyn Schofield who is always keen to offer Chad plenty of advice to keep him out of the stewards’ room.
Glyn Schofield will be aboard the Chris Waller trained Boban who is ready to produce his best after two runs back from a spell which saw him run fourth to Sweet Idea in the Group 2 $175,000 McGrath Estate Agents Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 9 and then fifth to Dissident in the Group 1 $400,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 30.
Chad Schofield will be having his second ride on the Robert Hickmott trained Green Moon after the pair ran second to Fiorente in the Group 1 $1m Darley Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington during the Melbourne Autumn Carnival this year.
And while the 1600m of the Makybe Diva Stakes might be a bit short for the eight year old first up, Schofield expects Green Moon to run a good race in preparation for his main goals later in the Spring.
“He is obviously a high-class galloper and competes at the highest level and is very well looked after by the stable. He is a horse I’d definitely like to stay with,’’ Schofield said.
Schofield will also team up with Hickmott with English import Masked Marvel in the $100,000 Sofitel Girls’ Day Out 2000 (2000m) and three year old Divan in the Listed $120,000 Living Legends Stakes (1400m).
Schofield’s other rides are More For Me in the Listed $120,000 Cap D’Antibes Stakes (1100m) and Brambles in the $80,000 Spring Is The Season Handicap (1700m) for Peter Moody, Solicit for Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra in the Group 2 $200,000 Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m) and Go Indy Go for Leon Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas in the Group 2 $200,000 Danehill Stakes (1200m).
And to wrap up the day Schofield will be aboard the Andrew Noblet trained Sistine Demon in the Group 3 $150,000 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) and old stager Precedence for Bart and James Cummings in the Listed $120,000 The Sofitel (1400m).
