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Glyn Schofield clinched a lucrative feature double at Canberra on Sunday after a perfectly timed ride aboard Goulburn galloper Court Connection.
Photo by Racing and Sports
It was his first win in the $200,000 feature, and followed his impressive performance aboard Criterion winning the Black Opal Stakes just 40 minutes earlier, a race worth a quarter of a million dollars.
Court Connection hit the front about 200m from home after settling well back in the field, and just held off fast-finishing local galloper Coliseo. Peter Snowden's Sindarin finished third.
Schofield's impressive ride pried the Canberra Cup out of local hands for the first time since 2008.
“It's been a good day, the two-year-old race and now the cup, pity we can't do it again next week,” Schofield said.
“I wanted to make sure I was patient because 10 furlongs is probably his limit.
“Even though we were three wide we had good cover and a good spot and I could see there was nothing in front of me that was going to beat me.
“If I let him go too soon I'd just run the risk of running out of petrol. I just bided my time and just hung around until I needed to go. He held on well.”
Court Connection came into the race off a fourth placing in last weekend's Listed Parramatta Cup (2000m), a race that wasn't initially on the six-year-old's program.
“We weren't intentionally going to run last Saturday but the horse had done quite well.
“The horse has been up for a hell of a long time. He's been well placed, We'd eyed this race off more than five weeks ago.
“The horse was trapped three wide. It was just the barrier that put him there.
“I said [to Schofield] just try and hold him up as late as you can. I think riding the winner in the previous race, he likes to ride like that.”
Norm Gardner's Coliseo loomed late and momentarily looked like he would pass Court Connection but was beaten by the winning post.
Gardner ran third in the race last year, and is now eyeing the Albury Cup.
“I'd rather get beaten 10 lengths then beaten a head, then you can say you're not good enough,” Gardner said.
“Third-up, that was an outstanding run.”