Chad Schofield riding high again, and is excited by new star Ceolwulf and youngster Bel Merci
Chad Schofield is back among the top in Sydney’s riding ranks even though it’s taken longer than expected, and there’s one horse that can help one-time teen prodigy achieve his dream.
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Chad Schofield’s breakout season has landed him in the saddle on two of the most exciting racehorses in the nation – Ceolwulf and Bel Merci.
Ceolwulf is an emerging superstar who Schofield rode to stunning Group 1 wins in the Epsom Handicap and King Charles III Stakes to close out his spring campaign.
Bel Merci has only been to the races once but the brilliant filly’s dominant effort under Schofield to win the Gimcrack Stakes has been one of the standout wins by a two-year-old this season.
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The talented jockey, who is armed with some competitive rides at Royal Randwick on Saturday including promising first-starter Odaka in the Agency Real Estate 2YO Handicap (1000m) and last-start winner Our Anchorage in the Complete Freight Services Handicap (2000m), partnered Ceolwulf and Bel Merci in their comeback barrier trials in recent days.
Ceolwulf was in cruise control finishing fifth in his Warwick Farm heat last Monday while Bel Merci showed her usual speed before a close second in her Randwick trial last week.
“It was the first time I have been on Ceolwulf’s back this campaign and I was very happy with him,’’ Schofield said.
“He was only out there to have a bit of exercise. Joe (Pride, trainer) didn’t want him to have a hard trial so I was easy on him but he went really well and felt to me like a stronger horse.
“Bel Merci is a different type of horse. I was out to give her a quiet trial, too, but she is a runner, really professional, and she jumped to the lead and towed me along.
“I had my feet in her mouth trying to slow her down. She is a little beauty.’’
Every jockey wants to be remembered as the rider of that special racehorse – like “Miracle” Mal Johnston and Kingston Town, Glen Boss and Makybe Diva, Luke Nolen and Black Caviar, Hugh Bowman and Winx – and Schofield hopes he can join that exalted club with Ceolwulf.
“That’s the dream and the dream is alive,’’ Schofield said.
“His last two wins showed a glimpse of what he could be this year.’’
Ceolwulf is a lightly-raced four-year-old gelding and it’s fair to say his best is still to come. Even Schofield isn’t sure what heights Pride’s stable star could scale in the next couple of years.
“I was very impressed with him in the Epsom,’’ Schofield said.
“I thought his win that day was huge, he was breathtaking.
“But the amount of improvement off the back of his Epsom win into the King Charles was enormous.
“He went straight to weight-for-age and was up against the best of the best. He gave them a start but crunched them late again.’’
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Schofield said Ceolfwulf’s versatility still has everyone guessing what eventually will be the gelding’s best race distances.
“Joe said since he had Ceolwulf gelded and kept him to shorter trips he has gotten quicker,’’ he said.
“But Ceolwulf also ran second in the (ATC Australian) Derby as a three-year-old on a heavy track over 2400m and he was closing on Riff Rocket that day.
“So, he has an abundance of stamina, a turn of foot and he has speed. Joe could aim him at anything he wants and the horse would be hard to beat.
“Ceolwulf is still young and improving which is probably the scariest part. Under Joe’s care he is going to keep getting better, too.’’
Pride has indicated Ceolwulf will barrier trial again next week ahead of a scheduled comeback in the Group 2 $300,000 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on February 15.
Bel Merci is also set to trial again on February 3 but she is not likely to return to racing until February 22 with trainer John Thompson looking at the Group 2 $300,000 Silver Slipper Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill.
“She won the Gimcrack very easily and is clearly a little racehorse, very professional with so much speed,’’ Schofield said.
“I loved the way she quickened off the bend and also her strength late in her debut win.’’
Ceolwulf and Bel Merci have come along at an important time for Schofield as the one-time teenage prodigy cements his position as one of Sydney’s most talented jockeys.
Schofield, 30, is currently nestled inside the top 10 Sydney premierships rankings with 20 city wins including his two majors on Ceolwulf – the jockey’s first Group 1 successes in a decade.
This writer has described Schofield as having a “breakout season” in 2024-25 which, it could be argued, is somewhat of a misleading phrase given the jockey has always been regarded as an outstanding natural talent in the saddle.
But this season Schofield is back among the top 10 leading Sydney jockeys in Sydney for the first time in many years and has also snapped a long period between Group 1 wins – although he did spend seven years riding in Hong Kong.
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When Schofield left for Hong Kong, he was only 20 but one of the hottest prospects in Australian racing having ridden four Group 1 winners in the 2013-14 season including the Cox Plate on Shamus Award.
The son of champion jockey Glyn Schofield was fulfilling his life’s destiny but did he go to Hong Kong too early in his riding career?
“I was very young when I went to Hong Kong but I felt it was a good time to go and I learned a lot when I was over there,’’ he said.
But Schofield, typically measured and forthright, admitted that in the four years he has been back from Hong Kong, it has taken him longer than he expected to readjust to Sydney racing and build “relationships” with various trainers.
“It definitely took me a while to sort of get going again after I came back from Hong Kong,’’ Schofield said.
“To be honest I don’t necessarily think I rode that well when I returned and it actually surprised me it took as long as it did to adjust to Sydney racing.’’
Schofield explained that riding in Hong Kong is vastly different to the competitive and varying Sydney and provincial racing scene.
“In Hong Kong, there is no track bias, almost every race is pure speed, and you are riding on the same tracks every week,’’ he said.
“I had to come back to Sydney then learn how to ride all the tracks again, the horses are trained differently here, and you need the support to get those better rides.
“Thankfully, it is starting to come now. I feel like the last six months have been the best since I have been back and a lot of that comes down to support and opportunities.
“Luckily for me Ceolwulf and Bel Merci came along at the right time for me to have some big wins, too.’’
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Schofield hasn’t ridden in Sydney since Boxing Day due to interstate commitments in Perth and then the Magic Millions carnival, and will be keen to continue his climb up the premiership ladder at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Odaka, a well-bred filly by boom first season sire Ole Kirk, is trained by Kris Lees and has impressed in successive barrier trial wins at Newcastle.
“I haven’t ridden Okaka but I like the look of her trials,’’ Schofield said.
“She’s a filly with some quality.’’
Schofield also links with the Lees stable on the smart mare Imposant in the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale Handicap (1400m).
Imposant has reeled off a hat-trick of second placings including at Randwick and Wyong since resuming and deserves a change of luck.
Our Anchorage, from the in-form Bjorn Baker stable, scored well first-up over 1800m at Kensington and will be even better suited getting out to 2000m for the Complete Freight Services Handicap.
Cool Jakey, a stablemate of Ceolwulf, has improved after two recent barrier trials and should sprint well fresh in the Stud And Stable Staff Awards Handicap (1200m).
Despite Schofield’s strong start to 2024-25 which has consolidated his position as a leading rider in Sydney racing, he remains understated about his ambitions for the rest of the season.
“I just want to keep riding winners consistently, that is the main thing,’’ he said.
“One of the hardest aspects of being a jockey is to get support from a number of big stables but I’ve been lucky in recent times to get those opportunities.
“I’ve found myself on the back of some quality horses like Ceolwulf and Bel Merci and that all helps. I can’t wait for the autumn carnival.’’
Originally published as Chad Schofield riding high again, and is excited by new star Ceolwulf and youngster Bel Merci
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