At Doomben Racecourse in Ascot, history was made as Angela Jones etched her name into Queensland racing folklore, becoming the first woman to win the Brisbane metropolitan jockeys’ premiership.
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Jones capped off the 2024–25 racing season this July with 66 wins, narrowly ahead of fellow rider and close friend Emily Lang, who finished on 64. Despite neither securing a win on the final metro day, the tally was enough to crown Jones the champion in what had been a fiercely contested battle until the last race.
While the crowd celebrated the breakthrough, Jones described her overwhelming feeling as one of relief rather than celebration. Her rise in the racing ranks has been marked by consistency, grit, and strong partnerships — notably with leading trainer Tony Gollan, who’s played a significant role in her success, having provided more than half of her winning rides to date.
She said she set out this season aiming to improve on her fourth place showing in last year’s Premiershi, when she rode 51 winners and finished 56.5 wins behind James Orman.
“I didn’t really think I was a hope, I just wanted to improve on my last season, but then just how the year played out with Jimmy Orman going away, obviously, we were in with a chance then and it’s probably been in the making for the last couple of months,” she said.
“That’s been my goal and it’s really good to pull it all off,” she added.
Jones’ journey into the saddle wasn’t conventional. Growing up on cattle property in Clermont, her path to racing began after a boarding school connection at Charters Towers introduced her to a couple who owned six racehorses.
Looking back, Jones says one of the pivotal moments of her life came when she crossed paths with former jockey Shane Scriven, who encouraged her to begin in Toowoomba. With family nearby and little racing experience, she took a leap of faith, joining trainer Lindsay Hatch, who mentored her from the ground up.
Jones sharpened her skills at Bahram Stud and later gained invaluable experience on Queensland’s outback circuit, riding at remote non-TAB tracks from Charleville to Mount Isa. She credits those early days with shaping her into the jockey she is today, learning tough lessons, away from the spotlight, in places where few were watching.
This exposure ignited her interest in the sport and opened the door to a career she hadn’t previously considered possible.
Speaking to other media, Jones said she is privileged to be the first female to win a Brisbane jockeys’ title.
“I got to be the one to do it but it wouldn’t have happened without the lovely ladies beforehand who have done it really tough to pave the way and make it easy for us today. We don’t really have to prove ourselves – being female they look at us the same now, which is great,” she said.
“It was always going to happen and I’m just lucky enough to be the first one,” she humbly added.
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The achievement also signals a changing tide in Queensland’s jockey scene. This year, seven women competed at the top level of the Brisbane premiership, a shift that’s reflected across the state’s broader racing industry. Of the 64 apprentice jockeys currently licensed in Queensland, 50 are female. Similarly, of the 42 students enrolled in trackwork rider training, 35 are women.
In anticipation of this surge, the Brisbane Racing Club is preparing to expand its female jockey facilities, acknowledging that the landscape is shifting toward gender balance, and perhaps even a female majority, in the coming years.
From sand tracks to the summit of Brisbane racing, Jones’ win at Doomben not only marks a personal triumph but also sets a new standard for women in the sport.
Published 4-August-2025
