How young Queensland jockey Angela Jones wowed Gai Waterhouse in Winx Guineas victory
Brisbane premiership frontrunner Angela Jones earned high praise from racing legend Gai Waterhouse after a recent Queensland winter carnival success.
Horse Racing
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
After 161 Group 1 wins and an extraordinary career in racing, it takes a lot to take Gai Waterhouse’s breath away.
But young Queensland jockey Angela Jones has done it.
“Your ride on 300 took my breath away. Just loved it Angela,” Waterhouse texted, complete with an accompanying emoji, after Jones scored the Winx Guineas on Waterhouse galloper The Three Hundred.
• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet’s team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Jones returns from suspension at Doomben on Wednesday, leading the Brisbane riding premiership race by two from Emily Lang who has now also copped time from stewards.
One way or other, history will be made at the end of the month when one of the duo becomes the first female rider to take out the Brisbane premiership.
Racing’s first lady is a huge fan of Jones, the jockey from the Queensland bush who is well placed to claim the riding title.
You sense that high praise from Waterhouse is likely to mean more to Jones than many of her 416 career winners.
• Jones’ remarkable journey from outback to chasing Group 1 glory
“I could not be more impressed with Angela Jones,” Waterhouse told Racenet.
“I thought her ride the other day on The Three Hundred was right up there with Group 1 jockeys who I have dealt with through the years.
“I love jockeys who can show initiative and I love jockeys who can ride on the speed and who can get a horse to lift to another level.
“She did all that on The Three Hundred.
“I wrote to her, I said ‘you literally were magical’.
“I don’t often write that to jockeys.
“She is a very exciting young rider and is right up there with the top class jockeys in Australia.”
Waterhouse said it’s probably no surprise an increasing number of young female jockeys are making their mark.
The legendary Hall of Fame trainer scratches her head when she says young girls now appear to be more likely to want to become jockeys than young boys.
• ‘No dodging Via Sistina’: Gollan keeps focus on Cox Plate
“It’s remarkable that two female jockeys are fighting out the premiership in Brisbane,” Waterhouse said.
“There are so few boys these days coming into the profession as riders.
“The number of boys are so inferior to the number of girls who are joining the (riding) ranks.
“I can’t quite work it out.
“Maybe the boys are having more trouble with their weight these days than the girls.”
Waterhouse has recently returned from a working holiday overseas with husband Robbie.
She said the clear highlight of her travels was her experience at the famous Kentucky Derby.
Waterhouse has seen everything in racing, but nothing quite like the spectacle at Churchill Downs.
• Bred by a billionaire, bought by a battler: The Jackal's remarkable Ramornie legacy
“It was the most incredible experience I've ever had on a racetrack,” Waterhouse said.
“It was so wet on the day that we in Australia would have called it off, but the Americans just ran it.
“The emotion that pours out, it was something very special.
“The hospitality and all the big famous names are there, it was just great.
“It was a bit like in England, but I think the Americans are a little bit warmer than the English trainers.
“They (American trainers) are a lot like us, I found.”
Originally published as How young Queensland jockey Angela Jones wowed Gai Waterhouse in Winx Guineas victory
San Domenico likely starting point for top colt
Rivellino was a luckless fourth in the Group 1 Golden Slipper in the autumn but will get another chance at high honours this spring.
Shinn tightens grips on jockeys’ title at Sandown
Blake Shinn moved further ahead in the Melbourne jockeys’ premiership with two winners at Sandown but his gap over Craig Williams could have been wider.