Photo: Bradley Photos.
Stephen Jones has a very promising galloper in the form of Remember Jack.
A three-year-old by Headwater and out of Innishbeg, the Scone galloper has started five times for three wins, earning just shy of $70,000 in prize money.
Late last year, Remember Jack won a Country Boosted 900m Maiden Handicap by four lengths at Muswellbrook at his second start before going to the paddock.
Following a 20-week spell, he returned on May 1, finishing second at Taree in a 1000m Class One Handicap before a very classy victory at Muswellbrook on May 21 when winning by more than two lengths in a 1000m Class One Handicap.
Stepping up in class at Tamworth on Friday, the youngster ran into some nice types in the Country Boosted 1000m Class Two Handicap.
With Aaron Bullock in the saddle, the $1.50 favourite showcased a good turn of foot and finishing burst to win by almost two lengths.
“It was very impressive,” Jones told NSW Country and Picnic Racing.
“We think he can be anything.”
Remember Jack’s dam Innishbeg – trained by David Atkins – was a five-time winner, with four of her victories arriving in the provincials.
As a broodmare, she hasn’t really missed, with Brown Ben (x Big Brown), a Group and Listed winner, earning almost $340,000 with seven wins in 44 starts.
Aspect (x Pluck), while only lightly raced, was a Group 3 winner, earning just shy of $200,000 in prize money in two wins from 13 starts.
Blood Thunder (x All Too Hard) also won twice in seven starts.
Jones explained that a friend led him to Remember Jack as a yearling after he was passed in at the 2021 Inglis Premier Yearling Sales.
“A mate of mine, Peter Robinson, he raced two of his brothers, and they were both Group winners, and well, he put me on to this horse, which was passed in for $200,000,” Jones said.
“He asked, ‘Why don’t you train him?’. I had trained for Peter a bit when I was in Sydney, and that’s how I ended up with him.”
An injury nearly curtailed Remember Jack’s career before it had begun. Still, everything came good for connections, with the young sprinter now one of the hottest commodities in Country NSW.
“He went out and got broken in, but got hurt getting broken in, and Peter was at a loss with what to do with him,” Jones said.
“He ended up being okay, and the rest is history.”
Aaron Bullock has ridden Remember Jack at every one of his starts, and NSW’s leading jockey suggested to Jones that he could be one to set for some rich country-only feature races.
“He’s only going to get bigger and better; there is a Highway in three weeks, and he’ll go there, and he should win,” Jones said.
“Aaron said, ‘Keep me on; he is a top horse in the making’, and well if he wins the Highway, he’ll have a little freshen-up before we set him for the Kosciuszko.”
Jones, who has been enjoying a successful season, registering 27 victories in 2022/23, enjoyed a winning double at Tamworth on Friday.
Joining Remember Jack in the winner’s circle was Don’tcha Think (Aaron Bullock, $1.90), which got home in the nick of time to win the Country Boosted 1000m Maiden Plate.
By So You Think, and out of Rock On Rhianna, the three-year-old is another promising type that Jones is gearing towards the 2024 Country Championships.
“It was another really nice win, and he’s by So You Think, so he’ll get over a lot further,” Jones said.
“He’s a lot greener, and he will improve out of sight, and he should make an excellent Country Champs horse.”
Aaron Bullock again dominated proceedings at Tamworth, with the Newcastle jockey winning four on the program, including both of Jones’ wins.
For all results from Tamworth, click here.
