Jack Jones is in his 2nd year as a trainer, having gathered a wealth of experience on his way, from Champion Trainers Nicky Henderson & Paul Nicholls to David Simcock & Richard Spencer via Australia. Jack tells us about his life in & around racing, his travels & experience’s along with his hopes for the future..
What is your first racing memory?
I also remember being at my Grandmother’s house watching Red Marauder, 2001 win the Grand National. We also went to Cheltenham, which was home.
A personal highlight for me was the Long Run Gold Cup.
Gambling Prince – Triumph Hurdle placed, who was trained by my Grandmother in Worcestershire. My mother worked for David Nicholson & my dad was a successful amateur jockey.
What started your interest in horses/racing?
I was in & around horses, I rode Ponies as a youngster & kept going to races at Cheltenham, while reading the form!
When you were younger, did you always want to work with horses in some capacity?
At 17, I was riding my mums hunter horse & at Tom Symonds riding out for Nicky Henderson at University & Point to Points. From the age of 14 or 15 I found training fascinating & knew it was what I wanted to do…
What was the experience like, riding out for Nicky Henderson?
Riding out for Nicky was fantastic, I had a great 3 years there at Seven Barrows during University. I was riding out 3 times a week, which i loved & learned a lot. I rode Mite Bite when he was an unnamed Scorpion & Buveur D’air before he ran over hurdles.
In & around the yard, the whole festival (Cheltenham) buzz was great. Nicky is a great man to learn from & in my last year, I started riding Point to Point.
Having studied Agricultural Business Management at Reading University, what aspects of this are useful in the racing industry?
I studied Agriculture & Business Management at Reading Uni, which was great. I was very set on racing & wasn’t sure Uni was 100% for me, especially with riding out at Nicky’s yard. I stuck it out, learned plenty, met some like minded people. It helped riding out on the side.
I think the business part helped a lot, there was a horse module on the course, which I did too & the accounting side has definitely helped…
Working as a Pupil Assistant for Kim Bailey & Paul Nicholls, can you tell us what the job entails?
Kim Bailey was my ideal first job with a position of responsibility, I was riding out a lot, pointing & managing staff. I certainly learned a lot & was a very good grounding to move on to different things.
Winning 5 times as an Amateur Jockey on Real Milan must have been a buzz, what was he like to ride?
Real Milan, he was the horse of a lifetime, a gorgeous big stamp of a horse, he was just so perfect. My dad helped train him at home, with Mum & my Sister leading him up on race days. For our family, it was fantastic.
He was never out of the first 3 home, winning 5 times. I won Novice riders final in my first year at Garthorpe, 2nd year I won 2 Men’s opens. He was 3rd at Cheltenham at the Hunter Chase evening & was just the biggest legend. Jumped for fun, travelled everywhere.
Dad did a great job training him, really was awesome. I was lucky enough to ride him on race days
Can you tell us a little bit about your time with Chris Waller in Australia & what Winx was like?
After my time with Paul Nicholls i had always been interested in Flat racing, so I headed to Australia. I had been there before Uni, when I worked on a Stud Farm ( NSW). I spent a year at Chris Wallers, as a work rider, which entailed 7 horses a morning with a different horses every day. I was lucky enough to sit on Zousain & The Autumn Sun, both were very good horses, both are now stallions in NSW.
I cantered alongside Winx but never had the privilege to ride her.
It was great experience over there, the comradery over Winx was fantastic & something this country should aspire too.
I went to Flemington & led Finch up in the Melbourne Cup, he ran a great race at big odds & finished 4th. The build up to the Melbourne Cup is huge, which makes our Grand National look small. It was a fantastic experience & I left to go to join David Simcock.
Assisting David Simcock & Richard Spencer, what was your responsibilities & Was this the final piece needed to pursue your training career?
David was great to work for as I gained experience using both sides of town (Newmarket), Warren Hill & the Racecourse side. IT has a very relaxed environment, David being a patient horseman, allowing them to matures when ready..
Likewise, I learned a lot at Richard’s with him having a shape eye on the 2yo’s, a lot like Paul’s, I was riding out, managing staff & Vet duties. A good learning environment.
How long have you been training on your own for?
My licence was granted in April 2022 & had my first runner in May 2022
How many horses do you have in the yard?
We have 14 horses in the yard, 5 X 2yos, 2 Jumpers , a few 3yo’s & the rest are made up of older horses including duel for the yard, Navy Drums & Chagall
If you could win ANY RACE, what would it be & why?
Slightly niche, but The Melrose 3yo Handicap at York would be lovely & obviously the Classic’s like The Derby.
I am a born & bred Jumps man, I would love to train a Cheltenham Festival winner, I wouldn’t mind a County Hurdle runner, which is sensibly handicapped & to pull that off would be something quite special.
Do you have any syndicate horses in the yard?
We have lots of syndicate options here, 2yo’s, 3yo’s & Jumpers – We cater for all types of budgets
If you are interested in joining Jack’s Syndicates – contact : https://www.jackjonesracing.co.uk/
And finally, can you give our readers a horse to follow for the season ahead?
Goodeveningmrbond – A good 2yo, who will run in some nice races this summer
We would like to thanks Jack for his time & wish the team, all the best for the future.
Interview – Rich Williams
Pictures – Jack Jones, Logo & Goodeveningmrbond ( Jack Jones Racing Website – Michael Smithson & Twitter)
Nicky Henderson, York Racecourse & Flemington ( File )
AOLR Publication – Published : May 2023
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