THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE

By Graham Potter | Thursday, April 6, 2023

In the words of the Alicia Keys song ... this girl is on fire.

Not that long ago, even this far out from the finish line, it was generally accepted that Jimmy Orman, the defending Brisbane Jockey Premiership winner, looked to be on a victory march to a second successive title.

Then Ben Thompson, who had always been lurking in the background, hit his stride in no uncertain terms ... notable when riding five winners at the Doomben meeting on March 18 ... to range into serious premiership contention, with most pundits then acknowledging it looked like it would come down to a two horse race.

Wrong again.

The formidable Angela Jones wasn’t about to be counted out of Premiership contention.

Three winners at Doomben on Saturday (one shy of her best ... she incredibly did ride four winners at an Eagle Farm meeting back in December) followed by another three winners at the Metropolitan class meeting at Ipswich yesterday has taken Jones’ metropolitan win total for the season to 62 victories, just two behind Thompson and seven behind Orman.

If put want to put Jones’ performance in the Metropolitan arena to date this season in perspective ... consider the following.

When apprentice Baylee Nothdurft won the outright Brisbane Jockey Premiership in the 2019/20 season, he rode 77.5 winners. Jones trails that number by 15.5 winners with a little over three and a half months of the season left to run.

When Ryan Malonay won the title in 2020/21, he rode 77 winners. When Jimmy Orman won it last year he rode 78.5 winners, so, although there is still plenty of work to be done, Jones is arguably on track to produce a haul of winners in her first season in Metropolitan combat that would have won the Brisbane Jockeys’ Premiership over the last three seasons.

A phenomenal possibility.

While bearing in mind her relative lack of experience (prior to this season Jones had only had three Metropolitan rides for one winner), the amount of boxes that Jones has already ticked is quite amazing.

Her consistency (she actually led the Premiership for some time early in the season), her race riding intelligence in terms of judging pace, her ability to produce horses from anywhere in the running and the undeniable fact that she gets horses to run for her in a manner which has allowed her to topple stronger riders in a pressurised finish are all positives of the highest order.

Throw in a cool and calm temperament that is beyond her years and her all around talent is even more impressive.

All this and she is still not the finished product!

Clearly, Jones has been the revelation of this season right from the season’s start.

She already has the Brisbane Apprentice Jockeys’ Premiership signed and sealed with the current second place apprentice on the ladder having 22.5 wins against Jones’ 62 wins (a 39.5 win buffer) ... but most now realise there is another title foir which Jones is in contention.

In the last week Jones has given everybody a reminder that she is well and truly in this Premiership chase, not least Jimmy Orman and Ben Thompson who will now have to watch their backs.

Forget the one-horse race. Forget the two cornered contest.

This year’s Brisbane Jockey’s Premiership is now a full three-way go!

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