Angela Jones turned in another outstanding race riding performance at Eagle Farm on Wednesday … well, four outstanding performances to be precise … which saw her end the day having ridden half of the winners on the eight-race card.
That is a real distinction, whoever achieves it and where-ever it happens but, in Jones’ case it also rubber-stamped her high standing in the Metropolitan riding ranks in Brisbane.
In fact, by any standards, it has already been a phenomenal season for the young apprentice.
Her thirty-four metropolitan winners for the 2022/23 racing season to date puts her in third place on the Brisbane Jockey’s Premiership, coming in at a more than respectable winning strike rate of 16.9 percent.
It is not only the fact that her current form is impressive that has caught attention, but rather it is the way she has continued to grow her presence in the highly competitive metropolitan riding scene after starting off in town with a real flourish.
She actually led the Brisbane Premiership for some while, which was already an eye-opener given that prior to the start of this season, the official statistics show that Jones had only had three rides in town from which she claimed one win.
Now she is punching it out … and landing some hefty blows of her own … with the likes of Jimmy Orman, Ben Thompson, Ryan Maloney, Jim Byrne and a host of other extremely competent riders.
Not only has Jones’ riding skills been on display, but her cool and calm temperament has also been to the fore.
Yes, she is apprenticed to Brisbane’s leading trainer Tony Gollan and, yes, that does give her the opportunity to ride her fair share of good horses (Gollan supplied two of her four winners on Wednesday) but, with that comes the pressure of expectation, particularly when some of those horses are well supported in the betting market.
Yet, outwardly at least, Jones has taken all of that pressure in her stride … taking the opportunities offered to her in seemingly unflappable fashion to produce winning results, which in turn have kept the opportunities coming.
And she can win on them from anywhere, in any manner, at any price … as Wednesdays results showed.
Taking the lead early, backing them up and then sprinting away in the straight (as she did on $3.10 second favourite Greylander … the first of her winners on Wednesday) … or, tracking the leader and then arriving late to snare the win in a pressurised finish as other runners charged from behind (as she did on the $26 outsider Knockknee) … or, fighting out a cut and thrust, no holds barred, tough two horse battle for supremacy to win (as she did on the $4 fancy Briars Kingdom) … or, never going around a horse when railing up from fifth place to outgun the opposition (as she did on American Saint who started at the juicy odds of $14) … it’s all good.
Two of those winners on Wednesday … Briars Kingdom and American Saint … looked like they were about to be beaten in the closing stages … but their winning results just exposed another big plus in the Jones riding makeup, namely the fact that, like all good jockeys, horses seem to run for her and find something extra when it matters most.
Obviously, Jones is still very early in her career with a lot more to learn … but, clearly, learn she does … and that trait has already proved worth its weight in gold.
So many positives to take forward and, while there is a long road ahead on the ‘Uncertainty Highway’ of racing, the bottom line for now is that Jones can absolutely be proud of what she has already achieved.
