Chad Schofield with his Dad Glyn
Australian-based SA born jockey Chad Schofield admits his long list of suspensions for careless riding has stifled his career, but has vowed to change his ways during the spring carnival.
The 20-year-old said being too competitive and riding on a line that was too tight had contributed to his many bans.
“I am crossing that line too often,” he said on Thursday.
Schofield, who has been charged with careless riding 15 times since January 1 last year, has rides in all nine races at Flemington on Saturday, including 2012 Melbourne Cup winner Green Moon and promising three-year-old Divan.
He rode eight-year-old Green Moon for the first time in the Australian Cup in March, when he ran second.
“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.
He ran foul of stewards at Caulfield on August 16 and, after a severe reprimand from chief steward Terry Bailey and a suspension, resumes on Saturday.
“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 said.
“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.”
He knows a split-second decision and a slight shift on a horse can lead to a careless riding charge and a ban.
Schofield is relying on the advice of his father Glyn, whom he will ride against in Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes, and former champion jockey Brent Thomson, plus his manager, Mark Van Triet.
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