Young jockey Chad Schofield’s star continues to rise with the 17-year-old claiming his first city winner at Randwick on Wednesday.
The aptly-named Winning Glory fought back after being headed to win the Bronte Handicap (1300m) for apprentice riders and was the middle leg of a winning treble for Schofield’s master David Payne.
Last week Schofield won the the prestigious Wagga Town Plate on How Much My Love but said his Randwick victory was even better.
“This is a bigger thrill,” Schofield said.
“I’ve had two milestone in a week and this races is part of the apprentices’ series and I’ve got rides over the next four days so it’s all looking good.”
At just 40 kilograms, Schofield admits he is not as strong as others just yet but Payne predicts it won’t be long before he is up with the best.
“Chad is a really good kid and I think in the next ten 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.”
Schofield said it was a relief when Winning Glory’s number went up after the event which he took from stablemate Future Solution by a nose.
“I thought I had won but until the number went up I wasn’t sure,” he said.
Schofield told Payne he had been concerned that perhaps the horse had not been fit enough but the trainer was quick to tell him good naturedly that they each had their job to do.
“I said `who’s training the horse’,” Payne said.
Dream Supreme and Diamond Jim, both ridden by Nash Rawiller, completed Payne’s treble.
“My daughter’s getting married at the end of the month in Mauritius so this will help with the costs,” he said.
Schofield is the son of senior rider Glyn Schofield who is nursing a broken collar bone forcing him to miss the ride on Hay List when he takes on Black Caviar in Brisbane on Saturday.
Rawiller made it four for the day when he steered the Gai Waterhouse-trained Charing Cross to win the TAB Number 1 Club (1800m).
The win took Rawiller to 75 for the season and he has a 11-1/2 win buffer over Corey Brown as he strives for a second Sydney jockeys’ premiership.
AAP TURF
