A strong ride on iron mare One Aye at Randwick has delivered Reece Jones his fourth win in the space of a week and the young hoop is focused on continuing that momentum into the new season.
Jones was part of the emerging group of apprentices coming through the Sydney ranks last year but after finishing his indentures, he admitted the 2023-24 racing term had been tough.
“It has been a little bit of a battle coming out of my apprenticeship, a bit of the support dropped off,” Jones said.
“But I have been working hard and right now, coming to the back end of the season, I’m starting to get rewards for my efforts.
“I’m going into this new season with a bit of momentum and hopefully I can build off that.”
Jones captured the Listed Winter Challenge aboard Jojo Was A Man for John Thompson at Rosehill last Saturday and added wins on Joe Pride-trained pair Let Me Reign at Hawkesbury on Sunday and Cosmonova at Canterbury on Wednesday.
He worked hard for Saturday’s James Squire Handicap (1800m) victory on One Aye ($16), who came off the bridle approaching the corner but dug deep to lift again late, nailing the well-backed Mascaret ($2.45 fav) by a long neck.
Co-trainer Paul Jones was thrilled to get the result, which was One Aye’s first metropolitan win and came at the 14th run of a preparation that started in December.
The mare has been thriving since the Joseph & Jones stable changed her regime to a combination of mainly treadmill work and swimming and One Aye has now recorded a win and three seconds from her past five starts.
“Let’s just say it’s not our usual method of training but she has just kept on being so tough,” Paul Jones said.
“We probably thought she would be going to the breeding barn, but she has kept on running good races.
“I don’t know whether I had the best horse in the race, but I had the fittest, and it’s pretty testing conditions out there. Reece knew what he had underneath him and he kept her going.”
A $50,000 buy who has banked over $430,000 in prizemoney, One Aye is by unfashionable sire Super One, however it is her dam who has inspired her name.
“She is out of Flying First Class and they tell me the seat up the front is 1A,” Jones said.
