Sydney’s premier trainer Chris Waller declared he hadn’t seen a better apprentice than Chad Schofield in his decade in Sydney racing at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
That praise came on the day the in-form 17-year-old Schofield outrode his three-kilogram city claim with a treble on the seven-race program.
Schofield brought up the first of his treble on the Waller-trained Ziprossa.
He added to his tally on the Joe Pride-trained Flying Empress and then brought up his 20th metropolitan success aboard Double Crescent who is prepared by Schofield’s master David Payne at Rosehill.
“He’s top class,” Waller said of Schofield.
“I’m not just saying that after he won, I thought that after he got beat on Dystopia (on protest) last Saturday (at Rosehill).
“Just the way he handled himself, the disappointment he showed after getting beaten.
“Everything means something to him.
“And I think there’s some other apprentices that are pretty good as well at the moment.”
Ziprossa’s victory in the Schweppes Handicap (1600m) was in a heat of the rising star series for apprentices, and Waller had enough confidence in Schofield’s ability and racing brain not to tie him down to instructions pre-race.
“It’s not very often I don’t give a rider instructions, especially an apprentice, and I just said to Chad, ‘I’m going to leave it up to you’,” Waller said.
“That’s how much Chad has impressed me. He’s a real thinker and is a credit to those involved behind him.”
Schofield leads the Sydney apprentices’ premiership by seven over Sam Clipperton and is in the top 10 in the overall jockeys’ premiership.
“That (3kg claim) is gone, and the next aim is to ride winners with the two-kilogram claim,” Schofield said.
“I’m riding winners and hopefully it keeps going and doesn’t end.”
Wednesday’s haul was Schofield’s second city treble after he dominated Melbourne Cup day at Randwick last month.
“I’m leading the apprentices’ premiership and in the top 10 in the jockeys’ title so I can’t complain,” he said.
“The apprentices’ title is definitely my aim.”
Schofield applied the pressure to Millenium Ruler before the turn aboard Ziprossa and it proved a winning move.
He also got going on the point of the turn aboard Flying Empress in the Warwick Farm 100 Club Handicap (1400m) and had the mare full of running as she went on to score by 2-1/4 lengths.
“She did that pretty easily and full credit to the kid (Schofield),” Pride said.
“He knew what he had under the bonnet there at the corner and shot her away. And that’s probably a good idea for a kid rather than getting into a tussle late with a stronger senior jockey. So full credit to Chad.”
Schofield can still claim three kilograms at Canterbury and Rosehill later this week as the final fields are already declared.
AAP TURF
