Glyn Schofield would have a great idea how his fellow rider James Innes Jnr feels after losing the ride following a GrI victory.
Schofield would also have a fair insight into how Jason Gillespie felt after he made a Test double century but never played again for Australia.
Glyn Schofield
Brad Waters writes on Racenet.com that Schofield steered Alizee to a thumping victory in the Gr I Coolmore Legacy Stakes (1600m) at Randwick to add to his Flight Stakes win on her but he hasn’t ridden the Godolphin mare since. Not even in trackwork.
But that was until he got the welcome call from the Godolphin to get back on Alizee in Saturday’s Coolmore Legacy.
“I’ve had to wait a while but I’m glad to be back on her,” Schofield said.
“We’ve had a great association and I’ve won a couple of GrI races on her so I’m very happy.”
Alizee has since posted another win since her partnership with Schofield ended but she hasn’t able to repeat her brilliance over the Randwick mile for other jockeys in that period.
Alizee finished 1 ¼ lengths from the winner in last year’s Coolmore Legacy but Schofield is confident he can get the best out of the daughter of Sepoy on Saturday.
“When I was last riding her, she was three and full of youthful enthusiasm and I was able to harness her,” Schofield said.
“The way I used to ride her, I used to let her get back and flash home.”
Schofield said Alizee did enough in her last run in the George Ryder Stakes to think she’d be a winning chance back at mares’ grade and back at Randwick, where she has notched six of her 10 wins to date.
Not even drawing the outside barrier in the 16-horse field dented Schofield’s confidence in the five-year-old.
“She went well enough over the 1500m in the George Ryder,” Schofield said. “Back to mares’ grade certainly helps her.
“I’m sure James and the team will formulate a plan on how to ride her but the barrier doesn’t limit her options because she’s not a go-forward horse anyway.”
The only little concern was the state of the Randwick track. Randwick was a soft (7) on Wednesday afternoon but Schofield hoped the Sydney weather would bring about an upgrade.
“The key to her is just getting a drier surface than a heavier track,” Schofield said.
“If we get bit of sunshine on Friday or Saturday, it might come up a (soft) five or a six. That would do her.”
