Angela Jones will have her first taste of New Zealand racing when she heads to Ellerslie on New Year’s Day.
Jones, who claimed an historic Brisbane Metropolitan Jockey’s Premiership last season when she became the first female rider to take out that honour, has been offered the opportunity to spread her wings by Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott (Wexford Stables), a training partnership who will, amongst other runners, saddle Smart Love in the Group 2 Rich Hill Mile at the Ellerslie meeting on January 1.
Jones is following a path that is familiar to her partner Kyle Wilson Taylor who, in March 2024 rode at Trentham and won the Group 2 Wellington Guineas aboard Grail Seeker for Wexham stables with O’Sullivan and Scott also being responsible for giving Wilson-Taylor his first chance to compete in New Zealand.
That point was not lost on Scott who was quick to use it as a friendly motivational factor for Jones … not that she needs any.
“I think she (Jones) will definitely want to put a Group Two New Zealand win on her record as Kyle won the (Group 2) Wellington Guineas on Grail Seeker for the stable and she won’t want him having that on his own,” Scott told LOVERACING NZ.
“We have got her on two of our other runners on the day to help get a feel for the track and, being the professional she is, I’m sure she will have done plenty of homework on those rides and the Ellerslie surface, which can trip a few up the first time they go there.
“Angela jumped at the chance to come over for the day, and we think she will really suit our mare.”
Smart Love, a four-year-old daughter of Savabeel, is a four-time winner … with two runner-up finishes … from only seven starts.
After finishing in a narrow second place in her first two career starts, Smart Love saluted in her next start on November 9, 2024 … but then she did not race again until resuming with another win on September 14, 2025.
She would also win her next two start in comfortable fashion … making it four wins in a row.
That winning sequence came to an end in her last start on December 13 when Smart Love stepped up to Group 3 company in the J Swap Sprint where she finished fourth behind First Five after being held up at the 200m mark.
The distance test for Smart Love is increased to 1600 for the Rich Hill Mile, a distance which Smart Love has only contested once … a race that she won when shedding her Maiden ticket over a year ago.
