Teenage sensation Jones targeting Woodbine ‘big races’

TORONTO, Canada (CMC):

Teenaged Barbadian rider Slade Jones says he will be targeting the “big races” during the new Woodbine season which gets under way here next month as he looks to improve on a stellar start to his professional career.

The 17-year-old enjoyed his first full campaign at the southern Ontario oval last year, chalking up an impressive 60 winners to finish 12th in the jockey standings with nearly US$2 million in purse earnings.

However, Jones rode only a single added-money winner in eight outings and said improving on this statistic would be one of his major objectives.

“This year, I want to win more stakes races and some of the more high-profile ones. [I want] to get the chance to be in those big races,” Jones told the Woodbine website.

“The King’s Plate (formerly Queen’s Plate), I would love to win that or at least get the opportunity to ride in that race. I hope this year that I can have a safe season, win some nice stakes races, and be in the top five in the standings.”

His stakes winner last season came in the $100,000 South Ocean Stakes when he guided favourite A Touch of Red to victory over 6-1/2 furlongs, and Jones still has fond memories of that success.

“Winning my first stakes race, which I did for Sid Attard, was a big one, very special for me. She’s really a nice filly,” Jones said.

“So that stakes win stands out as a big highlight from my first year of riding. Getting the chance to ride some for [trainer] Kevin Attard was nice too. I won some races for him, which was a great opportunity for me.

“I also won three races in one day on three occasions. There was one day where I won all of the Inner Turf races, which was probably my favourite day.”

Jones is the son of Woodbine legend, Jono Jones, a jockey who left his stamp at the prestigious racetrack in a career serving up more than 650 winners, before retiring in 2011.

Jono nearly won the coveted Triple Crown in 2004, capturing the second and third legs – the Prince of Wales Stakes and Breeders’ Stakes – with Canadian Horse-of-the-Year A bit of Gold. He finished second in the first leg – the Queen’s Plate.

Slade said his father had been a huge source of inspiration, noting that his advice had contributed to much of his success last season.

“My dad has given me a lot of very helpful advice. He told me, ‘it’s not about how many races you win, it’s when you win them’,” the soft-spoken rider said.

“One of the best things he shared with me is that during a race, I should try to slow everything down in my mind – to relax, to be completely calm so that I can make the right decisions. And that helped me a lot.

“When I was winning a lot of races it was when I was mentally at my best, thinking clearly when I was out there. He also taught me to speak less and let my riding do the talking.

“I love to watch videos of my dad riding. He was very smart out there. My dad had really good timing and the ability to position horses well, and time those runs really well too.”

The new season begins April 22.