11 hours ago
Angela Jones receives praise from Rob Heathcote after bringing up 100 winners for season at Eagle Farm
As star young Queensland jockey Angela Jones cracked her 100th winner for the racing season, trainer Rob Heathcote had the words of another top trainer ringing in his ears.
Jones, who hails from country Charters Towers and had her family watching trackside at Eagle Farm, produced a typically cool ride to score the first race on Amuseantes for Heathcote.
It didn't take Jones long to raise the bat for her ton of national winners this season, after she started the day on 99.5 winners.
After watching Jones produce an ice-cool ride to steer Amuseantes ($14) to victory in the QTIS 3YO Fillies Plate, Heathcote was full of superlatives.
'I heard Tony Gollan interviewed about Angela Jones maybe four or five months ago, when she had just given one of his horses a brilliant steer,' Heathcote said.
'Tony said something about Angela that has always stuck with me.
'He said that not only is she an enormous talent, she is a beautiful person.
'And that just comes through in her riding.
'She never panics, she never gets high anxiety and she is so patient and beautifully balanced.
'I mean look at that ride (on Amuseantes), she won that race for me.'
Angela Jones lands an early blow on Tattersall’s Tiara Day, slicing through the field aboard AMUSEANTES for Rob Heathcote. Could this be the start of a massive day for the rising star? � #QLDisRacing
— RaceQ (@RaceQLD) June 28, 2025
Jones was thrilled to score her 100th winner, but it was a surprise to her that it came in the first race.
'This filly was one of the few maidens in the race, so I didn't think she could win today,' Jones said.
'But she probably should have got her maiden out of the way by now and she did everything right today.'
Meanwhile, James McDonald said he wished the Group 1 JJ Atkins was still to come after the dominant win of Chris Waller 's two-year-old colt Autumn Boy in the Listed Tatt's Stakes (1400m).
The JJ Atkins has already been run and won – by Queensland colt Cool Archie – but McDonald is sure Autumn Boy would have been hard to beat if he had contested it.
Autumn Boy, a young son of former Group 1 champion The Autumn Sun, started favourite in the Tatt's Stakes and didn't have the easiest run but was still too good.
Autumn Boy 'leaves' them chasing in the Listed Tatt’s Stakes for the two-year-olds... and remains unbeaten! � @cwallerracing @mcacajamez @BrisRacingClub
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 28, 2025
McDonald is predicting the youngster can go onto big things in the spring after he made it two from two.
'He is a beautiful horse, he is lucky the JJ Atkins is not in another two weeks as he could have been winning that,' McDonald said.
'He is a very promising horse and he is only going to get better and better.'
