CORNISH CLAIMS A HARD-FOUGHT PREMIERSHIP WIN

By Graham Potter | Monday, August 1, 2022

Jasmine Cornish is the 2021/22 Queensland Provincial Apprentice Jockey’s Premiership winner.

The fact that the title chase could not have been more hard-fought and hard-earned only adds to the merit and significance of Cornish’s achievement.

Her physical workload, literally second to none in the provincial field, could easily have taken its toll on a rider with less conviction … but Cornish kept coming.

Her mental toughness, which was continually tested over the final month of the season, could easily have wavered under pressure … but Cornish never blinked.

At the final count, there was only half-a-win in it as Cornish edged out Angela Jones in the head-bobber … in the photo-finish that Cornish herself had predicted it would come down to in the end.

In fact, it finally all came down to race five at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday July 31, the fifth last race of the season … at which stage Cornish held that half-a-win advantage over Jones, who was having her last ride of the season.

A win for Jones on the Tony Gollan trained Kinetic would have reversed the Premiership order. Kinetic was only a $16 chance … but, you have got a ticket, you have got a chance and it was always a given that Jones would give the ride her all.

Cornish did not have a ride in the race so she could only watch from the sidelines.

Kinetic settled just worse than midfield in the early stages. She was left with all of five lengths to make up in the straight and, although she did make up some ground on the rail mid-straight, she was never doing enough to have a serious say in the outcome.

The Queensland Provincial Apprentice Jockey’s Premiership had been decided.

The season’s return represented such a great effort by both Cornish and Jones who landed 81.5 to 81 winners respectively.

To put their results in perspective … Kyle Wilson-Taylor won the 2020/21 Queensland Provincial Apprentice Jockey’s Premiership with a total of 87.5 winners (and what great inspiration Cornish and Jones can take from Wilson-Taylor given what he has gone on to do this season – taking out the Brisbane Metropolitan Apprentice Jockey Premiership).

But an even more telling example showing what level Cornish and Jones have pushed each other to achieve can be found in the statistics of other recent Queensland Provincial Apprentice Jockey’s Premiership winners.

Elyce Smith (58.5 winners – 2019/20), Adin Thompson (48 winner – 2018/19), Baylee Nothdurft (50 winners – 2017/18) and Zoe White (60 winners – 2016/17) all landed that honour, which will always stand to their credit, but none of them could get within twenty winners of Cornish and Jones.

So it is that Cornish’s and Jones’s results for the season just completed stand to their enormous credit for all of their effort, expertise and commitment.

It was a great contest between these two naturally gifted riders, but, as racing is meant to be, there could only be one winner … and, for that, Jasmine Cornish can take a bow!
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The Queensland Provincial Apprentice Jockey’s Premiership

How it played out - The final ten days:

Gatton July 22
A win for Cornish makes it Cornish +0.5
A win for Jones changed it around again - makes it Jones +0.5

Toowoomba July 23
A win for Cornish makes sit Cornish +0.5 winners

Sunshine Coast July 24
A win for Jones makes it Jones +0.5 winners

Sunshine Coast July 25
A win for Cornish makes it Cornish +0.5 winners

Ipswich July 29
A win for Cornish makes it Cornish +1.5 winners

Toowoomba July 30
A win for Cornish makes it Cornish +2.5 winners
Two wins for Jones brings it back to Cornish +0.5 winners

Sunshine Coast July 31
No winners for either jockey

Cornish wins the title by 0.5 winners

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