Glyn Schofield Successful in Delaying Careless Riding Ban
We attempted, unsuccessfully we might add, to have our careless writing suspension delayed to suit our convenience, but the writing stewards were quick to point out that a suspension delayed is penalty of no kind.
We could shed half our body weight and switch to hooping, but that would require a level of discipline far in excess of our reserve of that trait.
If we could do it, however, we could take the path of Glyn Schofield, who successfully argued that his careless riding suspension be timed to permit him to ride in some big races next week.
Schofield was suspended for careless riding during a Wednesday meeting at Kensington and was supposed to start his ban following a Saturday meeting at Warwick Farm.
Schofield was booked to ride Ed Cummings’ Sunborn in the $2 million Inglis Millennium and Chris Wallers’ Ascension in the Inglis 3YO Sprint.
Racing NSW permits jockeys to delay suspensions by up to nine days when the cause is careless riding.
We wonder if anyone truly knows exactly what is careless riding, while at the same time, wondering why anyone would do it.
Schofield will begin his suspension after Wednesday’s meeting and will be properly chastised and properly careful when he returns for the Rosehill meeting on February 22, where three Group 2 races, the Hobartville Stakes, the Silver Slipper Stakes and the Millie Fox Stakes will offer juvenile gallopers some preparation for Group 21 racing at Randwick in March, such as the Randwick Guineas for three-year-olds and the Group 2 Reisling Stakes for fillies.
Schofield needed a win, even if it was just the stewards. He has seen a precipitous drop on his racing win percentage. Of course, despite his natural ability, his Cotton Fingers hands and his ability to gain the cooperation of difficult horses, but some think that Schofield has lost some of the competitiveness that made him the jockey of choice for many top trainers.
Now, it seems that he has fallen from favour much like his strike percentage has fallen.