Chad Schofield may attribute his initial rides on star horses Tempted and Ceolwulf to luck and opportune timing, but it is his skill and performance that have maintained his position.
Schofield has cultivated a significant association with both horses, an alliance that will be showcased on the most prominent day of the Sydney spring carnival. Tempted is slated to compete against the formidable Hong Kong galloper Ka Ying Rising in the Everest (1200m), while Ceolwulf will participate in the King Charles III Stakes (1600m) against the mare Autumn Glow.
His initial engagement with Tempted was intended as a one-off booking. However, as Schofield consistently delivered results, the partnership has blossomed into an undefeated streak across five starts, with the potential for further success.
“I guess I was lucky to get on her in the first place. She was already a high-profiled and credentialled horse, but she’s obviously gone to a new level since then,” Schofield commented.
“I got on her as a race-to-race proposition, but I’ve just been lucky enough to keep getting the job done on her. Long may it continue.”
Schofield has developed a similar connection with Ceolwulf, one that has a more extensive history.
The horse and jockey first combined to win the 2024 Epsom Handicap and King Charles III Stakes double. Schofield has ridden Ceolwulf in all but one of his 17 starts since that victory.
The jockey is convinced that an intimate understanding of a horse can make a substantial difference at the highest echelons of the sport.
“Horses like Tempted and Ceolwulf, now that I’ve ridden them as much as I have, I feel like I know them as well as I possibly can,” he stated.
“I know exactly how they like to be ridden, what their assets are. They’ve both got similar styles in terms of how they race.”
“I’m just very lucky to be able to go to the races on Saturday knowing I can hop on those two horses.”
While Ceolwulf is aiming for his third King Charles III Stakes (1600m) title, Tempted is considered Australia’s premier hope of ending Ka Ying Rising’s exceptional 21-race winning streak.
Schofield expresses satisfaction with Tempted’s barrier draw of one. He suggests that despite her excellent recent performances, her best is yet to be revealed.
“Her two runs this ‘prep’ she has drawn wide, and I’ve had to reverse park to get cover and bring her back,” he explained.
“At least from that draw I’ll be able to let her be as close or far back as she wants to be.”
“I feel like she’s getting better too. She was very good last prep as a three-year-old, but she’s come back bigger and better. She was awesome first-up, she improved on that second-up, and she’ll be peaking now.”
Regarding Tempted’s capability to challenge the world’s highest-rated horse in the globe’s richest turf race?
“I think she can,” Schofield confirmed.
“It’s hard to say because we don’t know how he’s travelled, or how he’s going to handle the conditions. But all I know is Tempted is flying and she will handle the conditions.”
“If he comes out and beats Tempted, I’ll take my hat off to him because I know how good Tempted is.”
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