The top apprentice riders in Queensland have served up a treat this season in their pursuit of Premiership honours.
The battle for the Brisbane Metropolitan Apprentice Jockey Premiership between Kyle Wilson-Taylor and Jaden Lloyd was a cut and thrust affair for months until a combination of Wilson-Taylor edging ahead and Lloyd picking up a suspension put that title chase to rest in favour of Wilson-Taylor.
But another Apprentice Premiership fire is still raging.
Angela Jones and Jasmine Cornish are locked in a titanic struggle for the honours for the Queensland Provincial Apprentice Jockey Premiership, with Jones only just having her nose in front by a mere half-a-win (77 to 76.5) as they hit the final stretch.
Saturday’s results aptly summed up just how competitive this race is.
Cornish started the day that half-a-win behind Jones. Two winners at the Gold Coast on Saturday afternoon put Cornish a win-and-a-half ahead … but Jones fought back immediately with a couple of winners of her own at Toowoomba on Saturday night for the two riders to end the day exactly where they had started on the ladder.
And that is how the ebb and flow of battle has gone on between them over the weeks … with neither being able to steal a break on the other.
A couple of weeks ago already Cornish said, “It looks like Ang and I are going to be head-bobbing all the way to the line” … and she wasn’t kidding!
The result looks likely to go right down to the last weekend, maybe the last meeting, maybe the last race.
Both of these riders have had a stellar season, but the icing on the cake is still very there for the taking.
Neither rider deserves to lose out and they will both give their all not to do so, but just who will get the decision in the photo-finish remains to be seen.
The bottom line is that both Angela Jones and Jasmine Cornish have had a season of which they can be proud, and racing is fortunate to have two such talented riders, amongst others, coming through the ranks.
*The Queensland Country Apprentice Jockeys’ Premiership is also still up for grabs. Tahlia Fenlon (23 winners), Olivia Kendal (21 winners) and Alisia Donald (20 winners) are the riders in contention.
