Special moment for Nick Scholfield with first winner as a trainer

Former jockey Nick Scholfield registered his first victory as a trainer when St Irene obliged favourite-backers in the pricedup.bet Mares’ Maiden Hurdle at Wincanton.

Scholfield won four times at the highest level and notched three Cheltenham Festival winners during his near 20-year career in the saddle, and has been fast out of the blocks in his new venture, with his 13th runner proving lucky in Somerset just two weeks after sending out his first starter.

“It’s a big moment and for her to win the way she did shows she is a special mare and she will always now be special for me anyway,” said Scholfield.

“I’m grateful to the owners for sending her to me in July and I’m lucky to have a mare of that quality in my first season training. It’s only 14 days after our first runner, it’s very early days.

“I’m only at the start of this, but hopefully it’s just the beginning. Everyone keeps asking me, but I’m honestly loving training. It’s completely different to riding, but I’m loving it.”

It was somewhat fitting that St Irene was the horse to get Scholfield off the mark considering she came close to giving him the perfect start to his training career, rattling the crossbar as a 40-1 shot at Newbury when the handler’s first runner earlier this month.

Having sauntered to an uncontested 13-length victory at diminutive odds of 4-9 this time, she could have a bright future and can, for now, rightfully class herself as the flagbearer of the 37-year-old’s Lambourn string.

“For a trainer to have a horse like her is special and I genuinely think she has improved from Newbury and for her to go round like that without a lead on just her second start shows she is proper really,” added Scholfield.

“We’ve got some plans lined up for her and that was a qualifier for the Herring Queen Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle Series. She got black type in her bumper season so I would be keen to try to get a bit more over hurdles and then we’ll plan for the spring after that.”