Trainer Gary Hall has engaged diminutive Queenslander Lauren Jones to drive Whos Mistake tomorrow night at Gloucester Park
Diminutive Queensland teenager Lauren Jones will make her West Australian debut when she drives Whos Mistake in the $21,000 MMJ Investment Sales Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The 18-year-old arrived in Perth last Friday week to work for leading trainer Gary Hall sen. at his Serpentine training establishment and she appeared in public for the first time in the State when she drove Northview Punter to victory in a Byford trial on Sunday morning.
Hall engaged Jones, who weighs a mere 49kg, to drive Whos Mistake to take advantage of her junior concession to enable Whos Mistake, classified as an M5 performer, to contest Friday night’s event which is restricted to horses handicapped on an M4 mark or an easier mark.
Whos Mistake, a Victorian-bred eight-year-old, is a smart frontrunner and is favourably drawn at No. 2 on the front line. Gary Hall jun. drove Whos Mistake to an effortless all-the-way victory at a 1.58.3 rate over 2130m last Friday night. He sprinted over the final 800m in 56.4sec.
Jones, a daughter of Queensland trainer-reinsman Peter Jones, has had about 250 drives for 19 wins. Her final drive before heading to Perth was at Redcliffe on Thursday, February 6 when she was in the sulky behind five-year-old Wake Up Quinn, an $18.70 tote outsider with a losing sequence of 34.
Wake Up Quinn raced without cover for the first 500m before gaining the one-out, one-back position. Jones eased him three wide 450m from home and the chestnut burst to the front 250m from the post.
After a highly successful career contesting events for mini trotters, Jones started driving at Albion Park, Redcliffe and the Gold Coast at 17. She represented Queensland in a championship event for mini trotters at Alexandra Park in Auckland in 2011, in which she finished third. She won three of the four races in the Marburg series at Ipswich West late last year.
She saw a job advertised on the Trading Ring to work at the Hall training establishment. She applied and got the job and has started a three-month trial period.
In the random draw for Friday night’s event, the Andrew de Campo-trained Danieljohn fared best and is sure to appreciate the prized No. 1 barrier. Aiden de Campo will be anxious to get Danieljohn away smartly and attempt to lead throughout over the 2130m journey.
“He hasn’t had a good draw for a while and we’ll be trying to lead,” said de Campo sen. “Lord Lombo also gets away fast, but we will be aiming to hold the lead.”
Bickley trainer Peter Anderson will be represented by in-form pacers Rocky Marciano (barrier five) and Mighty Flying Thomas (inside of the back line). Morgan Woodley gave punters a lead by opting to drive Rocky Marciano in preference to Mighty Flying Thomas, who trailed the pacemaker and was hampered for room when a splendid second behind the pacemaker Pacific Warrior in the 21230m Governor’s Cup last Friday night.
Rocky Marciano also was unlucky when he failed to obtain a clear passage in the final circuit when third to Famous Alchemist over 1730m the previous Friday night.
