The difficulty for trainer David Hayes after the win of Rose Pattern at Caulfield on Saturday was deciding who deserved the most praise – the horse or the jockey.
He settled with giving the horse the immediate credit and her rider Chad Schofield got the nod as the next Craig Williams.
Rose Pattern winning the CFV Breathless Plate at Caulfield - photo by Race Horse Photos Australia (Steven Dowden)
“Potentially Chad is on the way to being another Craig Williams,” Hayes said.
“I can see him in that mould, or a Brent Thomson or a John Stocker.”
Schofield, 18, showed a mixture of skill and maturity to recognise his pre-race instructions might not be the best option and adopted a new plan that landed Rose Pattern ($5) a worthy winner of the CFV Breathless Handicap (1440m).
The beautifully-bred filly outgunned the favourite Ametsis ($2.70) to score by a neck with two lengths to Euryale ($11) in third place.
“We planned to box-seat from her good barrier but when the pace was so slow Chad summed it up and took her to the front,” Hayes said.
Schofield joined Hayes on a three-month loan that turned into a permanent relationship a week ago.
And according to the trainer, the South African-born teenager is a perfect fit for his new operation at Euroa.
“I’ve got a young developing team so it’s a good fit to have a young developing jockey,” Hayes said.
“Chad’s got great hands, great balance and he can think – he’s the complete package.”
The Hayes stables both past and present have developed some of best jockeys of their eras.
In 1975 Hayes’ father Colin recruited Brent Thomson, then New Zealand’s leading apprentice and provided the opportunities that turned him into an international star.
Colin Hayes had already made his Adelaide apprentice John Stocker one of the best riders South Australia has ever produced.
In recent times, Hayes had a close relationship with Williams, providing him with his first Group One winner and forging a partnership that secured both the Melbourne trainers’ and jockeys’ premierships.
While Schofield’s future appears secure, Hayes is hoping to turn Rose Pattern, a daughter of the super sire Redoute’s Choice and the high-speed mare Fair Embrace, into a valuable broodmare in the coming autumn.
“She relaxes very and she’s shown she handles the Sydney direction well so we’ll be looking for some nice black type for her a bit later on,” he said.
