Search
where the horse is always the hero
Article Item
Posted 2016-10-29 06:17:20  
South African Schofield takes Derby in Australia

It was a landmark day in the career of veteran South African Jockey, Glyn Schofield, ad the former Durban jockey took the Victoria Derby on Saturday. He rode Prized Icon for James Cummings. 

Cummings continued a long line of classic winners for the family when he joined his father Anthony, late grandfather Bart and late great grandfather Jim as the winning trainer of the Victoria Derby.

And it was not just the Cummings family that were celebrating as his Derby winner Prized Icon was bred and is owned by the Gooree Stud syndicate of Eduardo Cojuangco, who is the grandfather of Cummings' wife Monica.

"It is obviously fantastic to win a race that my family has been involved with for so long and this horse really deserves it," James Cummings said after Prized Icon had run clear for a two-and-a-half-length win over the favourite Sacred Elixir.

Despite the family involvement in the Victoria Derby, bookmakers were willing to take on Prized Icon after his fifth placing last week in the Vase at Moonee Valley and sent him out at $17. But after settling midfield, jockey Glyn Schofield produced the horse at the right time in the straight and he sped away.

Jim Cummings won the Victoria Derby with Comic Court in 1948, before that horse went on to win the 1950 Melbourne Cup when strapped by 23-year-old Bart in 1950.

WATCH: Prized Icon's win

 

Bart Cummings trained five Victoria Derby winners among his 268 Group 1 winners. His first was with Dayana in 1972 and his last success in the classic came with Omnicorp in 1987.

Anthony Cummings won his Victoria Derby in 2012 when Fiveandahalfstar caused an upset.

James Cummings can now take aim at another of his grandfather's records - his 12 Melbourne Cups. But the trainer said that Prized Icon appealed as a Caulfield Cup horse next spring.

It has been a strange year for Schofield as earlier this year he was embroiled in an illegal horse sale to Hong Kong and was fined $50,000 for his involvement.

Zac Purton made no excuses for runner-up Sacred Elixir, saying 'he raced alright and he had his chance'.


There were contrasting emotions from Wayne Hawkes, who believed the third-placed Inference should have won.

"It wasn't to be unfortunately, they don't pay out on should haves," Hawkes said. "In reality we were beaten when we drew the outside barrier.

"But he is a horse that is going somewhere ahead of the autumn, he doesn't mind softness in the track if it happens to be wet in Sydney."

Robbie Laing, trainer of fourth-placed So Si Bon, also had his eyes on autumn riches in the aftermath of Derby defeat.

"He is 480kg and he raced today how he looked - immature," Laing said. "He was slow out and we probably settled six lengths further back than what we would have liked.


"At the 400-metre mark I thought 'if he gets a run he'll beat them' and then he disappeared for a while in behind them. He reappeared at the 200-metre mark and we got our hopes up but he was just out on his feet the last 100m.

"He's a very good colt and I'm not convinced he is a 2500-metre horse.

"He is out of a sprinting family and I think he'll be a terrific horse at 1600-2000m.

"The Australian Guineas is the first thing that springs to mind in the autumn." 

Racing.com image and text

Rate:
Email link to a friend | Printable Version
  • Australia
    Displaying 10 ResultsSee All
    jockey involved in bad fall in australia7 days ago

    Stefano Cherchi suffered a head injury and internal bleeding following a fall at Canberra on Wednesd...

    View | Add Comment
    cox's plate moves but venue to be decided 2024-03-19

    The Moonee Valley Racing Club is on track to finalize the venue for the 2026 Cox Plate by mid-year, ...

    View | Add Comment
    gr1 jock asleep before graded race 2024-03-16

    Top Australian jockey Tyler Schiller incurred a penalty from stewards at Rosehill on Saturday for hi...

    View | Add Comment
    front running pride of jenni takes gr1 all star mile 2024-03-16

    Pride Of Jenni dazzled in the $3.75 million All-Star Mile, showcasing her breathtaking speed and mai...

    View | Add Comment
    slipper fav to be ridden by ryan moore2024-03-14

    Coolmore is set to bring in Ryan Moore, their retained jockey from Europe, to pilot the Golden Slipp...

    View | Add Comment
    star aussie mare dead! 2024-02-19

    On Monday, news of Verry Elleegant's passing during foaling in France left several prominent Austral...

    View | Add Comment
    imperatriz supreme in another gr1 sprint2024-02-18

    Imperatriz defied critics after a lackluster trial at Cranbourne, showcasing her dominance with a fi...

    View | Add Comment
    coolmore pursues magic millions winner storm boy in record-breaking deal2024-01-23

    In a potentially historic move, Coolmore is on the brink of securing the highly promising two-year-o...

    View | Add Comment
    aussie stallions popular including anamoe and saf related in the congo 2024-01-15

    Star racehorse Anamoe has been given a prime opportunity to leave an immediate mark in the breeding ...

    View | Add Comment
    south african gr1 winner's colt not popular at magic millions2024-01-13

    South African mare, Mississippi Burning (Captain Al), had a Kingman colt on sale via Newgate Farm ...

    View | Add Comment