Chad Schofield’s developing relationship with the John Moore stable has prospered in recent weeks and on Wednesday (8 May) night at Sha Tin he will partner the horse that sparked the connection.

When the rider climbed aboard Just Not Listening at Happy Valley back in early December it was his first ride on a Moore horse since the final day of the previous campaign. The duo ran second.

Five months and 30 rides down the line, the jockey/trainer partnership has reaped four wins. The first of those, Smart Rocket on 7 February, was Schofield’s first success for Moore in more than two years. Since Just Not Listening hit the mark at the beginning of April, the relationship has firmed, with Schofield riding a further 17 Moore runners for three successes.

“He’s probably getting more rides for me than any other jockey at present,” Moore said on Tuesday (7 May) morning at Sha Tin.

“It’s all about availability and suitability. If Zac’s (Purton) not available I look at who is suitable and Chad fits the bill. I actually picked him up when he wasn’t going so well and now we’re both enjoying it.”

Schofield, who had just two rides for Moore in the whole of the 2017/18 season, sits eighth in the Premiership with a solid 28 wins on the board for this campaign. He has only three rides at the eight-race all-dirt fixture, but with Just Not Listening (127lb) drawn gate one in the Class 3 Cheung Sha Handicap (1200m), he believes the Star Witness gelding should be in the mix.

“Finally, he’s drawn a good gate. He’s got tremendous gate speed so I’d suspect he’d hold the lead, hopefully, and if I can rate him well enough in front and he can give the same kick (as when he won for me) he’d be right in the finish,” Schofield said.

“He was a bit disappointing last time. He drew wide but we ended up having a nice run just in behind the speed but it was a completely different type of race to the one he won. When he won he led, controlled and kicked whereas his last start they went a lot quicker and he wasn’t able to dictate.”

Just Not Listening heads into Wednesday on a career high mark of 74 but Moore believes the four-year-old has not hit his absolute peak yet.

“There’s one more in him,” the handler said. “As quirky as he is, when he ticks all the boxes with the gate and his good work coming in, he’s got to be considered. His work has been very good.”

Schofield, meanwhile, is pleased to have the backing of a stable back on the rise. His last six rides for Moore have yielded a win (last Sunday) and a further four top three placings.

“I’m ticking over nicely,” the jockey said. “I’m getting some support from John Moore, which is really nice. It was good to ride another winner for him on the weekend, his stable’s going really well and hopefully I can finish the season off quite nicely.”

Moore notched only 33 wins last term and fell to 12th in the table but has bounced back this season, riding the back of Beauty Generation’s record eight wins, and now sits third in the premiership, just seven behind the leader, John Size.

“My stable’s flying at the moment and the restructuring we had before the start of last season is really paying off. It’s getting a bit exciting in the premiership,” Moore said.

And the six-time champion trainer, 69, has been offering his many years of racing wisdom to Schofield, 25.

“I’m just trying to help him in some ways, giving him a little more detailed guidance with regard to riding instruction about what he’s following in a race and what will transpire from a good gate - avoiding the horses that look like they might come back in your face,” he said.

“He’s willing to listen and he’s willing to admit mistakes and that’s a good thing.”

Schofield added: “I’m grateful for whatever he’s giving me and just trying to make the most of the opportunities. I’ve won a couple on Smart Rocket as well as one on Just Not Listening; they’re nice rides to pick up and he’s a great stable to ride for.”

The 12-runner field also features the Me Tsui-trained Handsome Rebel (124lb), a high-class juvenile in New Zealand seeking a breakthrough Hong Kong win at start seven, having raced his last four at Happy Valley. Purton takes the ride.

“The gates there have really hindered his opportunities,” the jockey said. “He’s had to go back to give him a bit of a chance but he has hit the line well. From a better gate (3) this time, hopefully he can take a better spot and that could be all the difference.”

Buddies with Purton

Moore looks to the champion jockey to deliver the goods in the night’s opener, the Class 4 Kiu Tsui Handicap (1650m) with Purton aiming to guide Buddies (125lb) to a first win at start four.

“He has trialled well on the dirt so I think the surface is not going to be a problem, he’s an improving horse that seems to be getting better with every run and I don’t think the distance will be a problem either,” Purton said of the three-year-old.

“Gate 12 is not ideal, he’s going to have to do a little bit of work form there but hopefully we can have some luck and get a nice spot.”

The first race is due off at 7.15pm.