Schofield Comes to Town to Test Hot Form at Cluden

Barcaldine trainer Toni Schofield is riding high with one of the best strike rates in the country and has now trained her sites on landing her first  winner at Cluden Park on Saturday.

Schofield and husband Nathan, have blazed a trail across the western and provincial coastal tracks over the past 12 months, landing 36 winners this season – 23 of them from their last 50 starters.

And the stable is coming to town with four good chances on Saturday for the first meeting back after the recent refurbishment of the Cluden racing surface.

While Schofield is yet to bag a Townsville winner from just four starters to date, husband Nathan is well known to the region from his days training in the far north.

He landed a number of a big wins in the north as a trainer, including the 2008 Mackay Newmarket and weeks later the Cleveland Bay Hcp at Cluden with champion hoop Darren Gauci flown in to land the cash.

The Schofields will saddle up four runners on the weekend, All Too Vegas, Yukan Rose, Shez Lethal and the much-travelled All England who will go into the Waltec BM65 Hcp (1200m) with four straight wins.

Toni, a one-time apprentice jockey who still rides work, rates All England and Shez Lethal as genuine chance to land her first winner but she won’t be on track to watch them.

“A couple of them look chances. They’ve been flying out here and have to take the next step up,” Schofield said.

“All England has been going great and has won his last four.

“The little mare Shez Lethal is looking for a mile trip which we don’t get much out here.

“Yukon Rose is in open company and might be a bit outclassed there and All Too Vegas is drawn terrible and likes to race on the speed but we’ll have to see what sort of luck she gets.

“All England has been through a lot of trainers (eight) and has his share of issues. He is a typical I Am Invincible – heavy in the front – and has a lot of feet trouble.

“His feet are constantly wrapped up in cotton wool and hardly touch the ground.

“We seem to have him worked out – he’s been flying our here and it looks a suitable race on Saturday. 

“I actually won’t be there on the weekend. I haven’t been to the races in Townsville yet.

“Nathan loves driving so I’m happy to send him and besides he can’t ride work.

“He’s only just got home from Rocky after a break down on the way home. He was stuck in Emerald for three days so he’ll back on the road again Friday.

“I stay home, I still had to work 15 here this morning.

“I started a jockey’s apprenticeship back in 2005 but didn’t finish it. I was born out here and went to Rockhampton riding work for about 10 years and met Nathan and started training and he eventually said I should move back home so we made the shift.

“We’ve been steadily building up the team ever since. We’re down to 20 in work at the moment. We will be taking a break for a few weeks and then the number will be back up to around 35 in January.”

Apprentice Maddie Mankelow has been a big part of the Schofield’s success this season.

The young rider has bagged 21 winners for the stable in her past 50 rides and will be aboard all four stable runners at Cluden on Saturday with her 3kg claim.

“Maddie is going really good. Riding with a lot of confidence,” Schofield said.

“She is originally from around Newcastle in NSW and moved to Nanango before she joined us.

“She wasn’t getting many opportunities in the south-east corner and her manager rang us and asked if we’d take her on and we said definitely.

“It’s really been a great move for her and the winners have been rolling in.”