While champion hoop Glyn Schofield remains sidelined due to injury, his son Chad Schofield broke his metro maiden status on Wednesday, the young gun scoring his debut city success at Randwick.
Father Glyn is most famous for his association with boom sprinter Hay List, but will miss the mouth-watering clash between Hay List and Black Caviar in the Group 1 BTC Cup on Saturday due to an injured collarbone.
But it is all good news for son Chad the light-weight 17-year-old apprentice, weighing in at just 40 kilos, enjoying a narrow victory on the aptly named Winning Glory at Randwick’s Kensington track yesterday.
In a thrilling photo-finish, Schofield junior was found to have just gotten the David Payne-trained gelding Winning Glory ($6) to the line in the final stride over stablemate Future Solution ($5.50) in the $27,000 Bronte Handicap (1300m).
The final margin was so narrow, Schofield originally wasn’t sure he had done enough.
“I thought I had won but until the number went up I wasn’t sure,” he said.
Despite the victory, Payne wasn’t about to let Schofield off to celebrate without a bit of a rev-up.
“I gave little Chad a blast, he should have let it (the horse) go,” Payne said after the race.
“He said, ‘Mr Payne, I didn’t think it was fit enough’ and I said, ‘Hello, who is the trainer?’”
Payne wasn’t all criticism either though, also giving the up-and-coming jockey some positive feedback.
“Chad is a really good kid and I think in the next 10 years he will be up with the best of them,” he said.
“But by then he won’t be riding for me, he will be riding for the big stables.”
Although given a talking to, Schofield was still over the moon, the Randwick win adding to his earlier success having ridden Town Plate champion How Much My Love to victory at Wagga last Thursday.
When asked which of the two, the Wagga Town Plate or Wednesday’s success on Winning Glory, was best Schofield was quick to reply.
“This (the Randwick win) is a bigger thrill,” he said.
“I’ve had two milestones in a week and this race is part of the apprentices’ series and I’ve got rides over the next four days so it’s all looking good.”
“I had a winner at Goulburn yesterday (Tuesday) too,” Schofield said talking about the Pam Webber-trained Second String.
No doubt Schofield’s first city win would have eventuated sooner if his career hadn’t been hindered late last year when he fell from a horse at Hawkesbury.
“I broke my elbow in three places, my wrist in two places,” Schofield said.
The fall did little to deter Schofield from doing his best to move up the riding ranks, however.
“I’ve always wanted to be a jockey, ever since I can remember,” he said.
