Apprentice jockey Chad Schofield has ridden Maiden colt Shamus Award to a start to finish win in the 2013 Cox Plate. The Danny O’Brien trained runner was the first and only emergency for the race and after Atlantic Jewel was scratched early Tuesday morning, Shamus Award was guaranteed a run from the favourable barrier three.
Many expert analysts suggested the two 3-year-old runners this year stood very little chance and while the Guineas winner Long John did finish 7.5L 9th, Shamus Award ate up the extra 440m today from out the front.
This years Cox Plate was run as expected. Around the first turn Shamus Award lead up with Side Glance on his back. Puissance De Lune was outside of Shamus Award with Long John going around him 3-wide to take up outside of Shamus. Super Cool then pushed on around Puissance De Lune also and so did Fiorente at around the 600m. It’s a Dundeel was stuck 3-wide the whole trip and throughout the run was outside of Puissance De Lune with Happy Trails behind PDL and Foreteller on his back.
Coming around the 800m turn Shamus Award was still leading with Fiorente outside of him. Coming past the 400m Shamus Award had kicked clear with Fiorente while Super Cool continued to stick on. Happy Trails was still near the back with Foreteller dead last both saving ground on the inside. Puissance De Lune was gone approaching the straight while It’s A Dundeel didn’t have anything to give. Happy Trails got a dream split with Foreteller following him into the straight. Shamus Award kicked 1.5L clear of Fiorente at the 150m and Happy Trails and Foreteller both chased him to the line with Happy Trails JUST getting to Shamus about 5 metres too late. Shamus Award held on to win the 2013 Cox Plate from Happy Trails, Firoente and Foreteller.
Controversy has followed post race as Chad Schofield, the rider of Shamus Award, was fined $1000 for using his whip on six occasions in a forehand manner prior to the 100m. One would suggest that considering the margin of 0.1L, the owners of Happy Trails, if they were alerted to this fact, would have had a clear case to protest the result.
Puissance De Lune pulled up lame from the race and his owner has already announced that PDL won’t be running in the 2013 Melbourne Cup.
Foreteller who is balloted into the Melbourne Cup, but has never been aimed at it, has shortened from as high as $300s into $70 for the Cup. Fiorente is now the outright $7 favourite from four international runners.
