Jones continues Hamilton Road revival
The previously unfashionable Hamilton Road in Newmarket has seen something of a revival in recent years, due in part to the Classic-winning exploits of George Boughey, and now it is his neighbour Jack Jones who has come to the party on the Racecourse Side of the town.
The former assistant to David Simcock and Richard Spencer has just four juveniles. at the barn he rents off Rae Guest but is packing a remarkable 50 per cent strike- rate in that department, with two individual winners already including a Royal Ascot hopeful.
Jones registered his first winner in November when Chagall won at Chelmsford and, six months on, things have taken off for the 28-year- old, with recent victories on the Flat and over jumps.
He told the Grapevine: "I don't know why but things have been clicking into place i this year. We had Chagall followed by Navy Drums, who is another success story we picked up for just £4,000 in a Tattersalls Online Sale. He won two on the bounce for us and was second twice either side and has nearly paid for himself."
It is in the two- year-old division Jones (right) has recently excelled, and he could even be at Ascot next month.
He said: "In the last two weeks we've had Fengari, who was a £5,000 yearling from Doncaster, win at Leicester for owner Stewart Goodwin. Because she was GBB-qualified she landed the £20,000 bonus, so that was a great day. There was talk of Royal Ascot, but there's a race at Hamilton on June 8 which may be a better option. "Then we had Up The Manor win at Doncaster, a colt we got from the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale. He was only £20,000 and did two pieces of work between the sale and his race. He did it nicely and went away at the line.
"I thought he'd run well but never thought we'd win taking on the likes of Richard Fahey, David O'Meara, James Tate and Alice Haynes, who have had juvenile winners."
Jones added: "We've had offers for Up The Manor since, but one of the options we have now is going straight to Royal Ascot for the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes, which is very exciting for a yard our size."
