Chad Schofield starred with a treble on Sunday at Sha Tin and highlighted his haul with a masterful ride aboard Circuit Three (NZ) (Savabeel) in section two of the Class 3 Lai King Handicap (1400m).
The rider had the Savabeel gelding in midfield on the fence upon turning for home but in the home straight was forced to watch as gaps opened and closed; Schofield remained cool and collected though and was rewarded when a split between Snap Fit (NZ) (Nadeem) and Hardly Swears (All Too Hard) presented at the 250m point.
“I was always confident of getting a run somewhere – I had a few options so I took one eventually and then he was able to show his customary finish,” Schofield said.
“It was a good win – he was a short-priced favourite but we knew we were going to sit midfield on the fence somewhere and that we’d need a bit of luck but when we got it, especially with top weight, he really managed to hit the line strongly.”
Bred by GR Turner and GD Wallace Circuit Three was sold to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for $475,000 at the 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock Sale from the draft of Mapperley Stud. He has now notched up earnings of HK$3,387,530. The New Zealand-bred now has four wins from his last five starts and before today has risen 23 rating points to 75 since his opening mark of 52.
