Apprentice Kei Chiong and jockey Chad Schofield were officially introduced to the media during a press conference at Sha Tin Racecourse this morning, Wednesday, 2 September, and both expressed their enthusiasm as they look forward to their first Hong Kong race day on Sunday (6 September).
Chiong is the first female apprentice to be licenced to compete on Hong Kong’s ultra-competitive circuit for 15 years and the young rider, 22, is aware of the attention this will bring. Rather than feeling unduly pressured, Chiong is “excited” at the prospect of riding in front of a large crowd at Sunday’s 2015/16 season opener and is looking forward to the rest of the season beyond.
“There will be some pressure but pressure can also be a motivation, so I will work hard, study the form and watch videos to prepare and I will give my best,” she said.
“In New Zealand I had 545 rides for 44 winners and rode at 25 tracks. It was great experience and I also gained a good general horse knowledge, things like horse breeding and how to break-in a horse. These experiences have helped me a lot in preparing to ride here in Hong Kong.”
Chiong, who was indentured to Allan Sharrock in New Zealand for the overseas portion of her apprentice jockey training and is now under the guidance of Francis Lui at Sha Tin, revealed that she has paid particular attention to the style and intelligence that former Champion Jockey Zac Purton exhibits in a race. She also said that she is looking forward to tapping into the experience of former top jockey Felix Coetzee, who will play a role in mentoring the riders at the Hong Kong Apprentice Jockeys’ School this season.
“I want to learn from him the riding skills I’ll need and how to find a good position in races, and how to get the best out of a horse,” said Chiong. “I hope to get a lot of rides, keep improving my riding skills and hope that I can get plenty of winners.”
Plenty of winners are what Schofield is hoping for, too. The young hoop, 21, spent four years of his childhood in residence at Sha Tin while his father, Glyn Schofield, forged a successful Hong Kong career. The Hong Kong Jockey Club has issued him a contract up to 1 February, 2016.
“It’s hard to say what to expect but during my six-month contract I’d like to ride as many winners as possible and hopefully see out the full season. If I do that I’d like to ride 25 winners. I believe that’s a realistic goal, being that I can ride light, and I’ll do my very best to achieve that,” he said.
“It’s a bit special being here. I spent a large portion of my childhood growing up here and climbing the trees, watching dad over the fence, so now finally to be able to do it myself, to ride and compete on the biggest stage, is pretty special for me. I’m lucky to be here and I can’t wait for the season to start. Hopefully I can prove that I can mix it among the best.”
Schofield has four Group 1 wins on his CV already since starting his career in Australia in the 2010/11 season. A champion apprentice in Sydney and Melbourne, his pinnacle win so far came aboard Shamus Award in the 2013 Cox Plate and he is hoping for another feature win to kick-start his Hong Kong career, just like his father.
“Dad won the Chief Executive’s Cup at his first meeting,” he said. “Funnily enough that was for Derek Cruz and I’ll be riding for Derek Cruz in the same race my first time, so that could be a bit of an omen!”
The Club’s licencing of Schofield follows a deliberate trend in recent years that has seen several of the world’s brightest young riders hone their skills in Hong Kong. Schofield has a similar profile to jockeys such as Tye Angland, Damian Lane, Umberto Rispoli and Maxime Guyon who have competed successfully during their time in Hong Kong over the past few seasons.
Chiong will start her local career as a 10lb claimer with four rides on Sunday’s 10-race card - Distinct Commander for her boss, Caga Force, Born To Win and Gentilis - while Schofield will kick-off with nine rides.
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Photo 1:
New Club Jockey Chad Schofield (first from right) and apprentice jockey Kei Chiong (second from right) meet the media representatives in a press session at Sha Tin racecourse this morning.
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Photo 2:
Chad Schofield takes media questions during the session.
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Photo 3:
Kei Chiong talks about her aspirations and targets for the new season.
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Photo 4:
From right: Kim Kelly, Chief Stipendiary Steward of the HKJC; Andrew Harding, Executive Director, Racing Authority of the HKJC; trainer Francis Lui; apprentice jockey Kei Chiong; Club Jockey Chad Schofield; Amy Chan, Headmistress of the HKJC Apprentice Jockeys�� School; and Steve Railton, Secretary of the Club��s Licensing Committee, smile for cameras at the session.
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