Gollan banks on willing apprentice
CHAMPION trainer Tony Gollan is hugely excited about the future with star apprentice jockey Angela Jones who will be unleashed fulltime in city riding ranks from the start of the new racing season.
Jones, who caught the racing bug when she was a schoolgirl in Charters Towers, is ready to be let loose on metropolitan racing after being a star of the provincial circuit while based in Toowoomba.
The girlfriend of apprentice hoop Kyle Wilson-taylor is the state’s leading provincial apprentice and only Ryan Wiggins has ridden more winners than her statewide in senior provincial ranks this season.
Jones has been under the tutelage of renowned Darling Downs horseman Lindsay Hatch who has helped mould plenty of boom apprentices including Baylee Nothdurft who went on to be champion Brisbane senior rider.
But Jones, 21, is now on loan to Gollan and he has big plans for her in the new racing season which begins on August 1.
Her 3kg city claim will be invaluable to Gollan and he expects her to be in high demand from other trainers.
Jones recently rode her first metropolitan winner – Gollan gelding Snitzify at Doomben – and the young rider will soon become a fulltime force in the city.
“We were thinking about kicking her off next week in the city, but we will stick to our original plan which was to kick her off in the new season,” Gollan said.
“Angela is down here getting familiar with Brisbane at the moment.
“She is working orking fulltime, riding work for us, officially she came on loan n a couple of weeks eks ago.
“She has as been coming g down for r about a year r now, one day a week, and riddden a little bit here and there for me.
“I’ve been watching her ride for or quite a while and I am m good mates with Lindsay so o we have talktalk ed a lot about her.
“She will be a very welcome addition to my stable.”
While Jones’ 3kg city claim will be like gold dust in her early days riding in the big smoke in Brisbane, Gollan realises it won’t last long.
But he is certain the 21year-old has the right stuff – both on and off the racetrack – to have a big future in racing as long as she keeps improving her undoubted talent.
“With three kilos and she can ride nice and light, she will fill a pretty big role for us next season,” Gollan said.
“She will get a lot of chances outside of us as well, she will be sought after and that is for sure.
“First of all, she is a very good rider but she is also a really nice person, a good listener and good to have around.
“There is no doubt the apprentice title in the city next season will be a big goal – what young kid wouldn’t want to try to win the apprentices premiership?”
With Jones and WilsonTaylor living together, there will no doubt be some fascinating talk around the dinner table.