Déjà vu on the turf. You’ve seen this before in horse racing. A jockey rides the card, climbs the leaderboard, fans cheer… and then…wham! The headlines shift from wins to warnings. Just like Craig Williams in 2015 and Jye McNeil in 2019, another rising star had her big day flipped on its head. Yes, this time it’s the 24-year-old jockey who was raised on a cattle and grain property, when luck wasn’t on her side on June 27. Three wins, a championship lead, and then? An inquiry? A suspension? Seriously? Yes. That happened. The biggest high of her career turned into a stinging low before the day was even over. The name in question?

Angela Jones. Just 24, and already one of Queensland racing’s brightest lights. On Saturday, 27th June, at Eagle Farm, Jones was flying; she nailed three winners, surged past 100 season victories, and nudged ahead of Emily Lang in a nail-biting premiership race. It should’ve been her moment. But her ride on Floozie in the Group 1 Tatt’s Tiara, worth $700,000, set off alarms. The horse, a race favorite, finished fifth. Not the issue. It was the interference near the 200m mark that changed everything. So what went wrong?

Jones found herself in hot water for a move she swears wasn’t all on her. But, racing stewards, the officials responsible for enforcing rules and reviewing race incidents, claimed she shifted out on Floozie just as Tom Sherry, riding eventual winner Tashi, came in. The result? A tight squeeze that left Abounding and Bubba’s Bay sandwiched in the middle. The moment drew immediate scrutiny in horse racing. In the inquiry room, Jones stood her ground: “I don’t think it’s worthy of a charge,” she told the panel, arguing that Sherry’s inward shift had more than half the bearing on what happened. But the stewards weren’t convinced.

Jones? Not so lucky. She was charged with careless riding and hit with a 10-day suspension, starting after the Winx Guineas on July 5. And that timing couldn’t be worse; it sidelines her right during the final stretch of the Brisbane racing season. According to Racing Queensland standings updated on June 28, Jones had just taken the lead in the Brisbane jockeys’ premiership by a single win over Emily Lang. That gap? It’s razor thin. But…

With Jones off the saddle from June 30 to mid-July, Lang could easily sneak past, especially if she keeps up her current form. And here’s where it really stings: that $700,000 Group 1 chance on Floozie? Gone. Her momentum? Stalled. Jones had everything lining up: form, wins, confidence, and it looked like the premiership was hers to lose. If not for the suspension, she was in a prime position to finish the horse racing season on top. But now ten days off might cost her everything she’s worked for. Still, there’s one card left to play.

How can Angela Jones dodge the ban hammer in horse racing?

Well, Angela Jones was the little girl from the outback in Queensland, Australia who thought the Melbourne Cup was the only horse racing event in Australia. Raised on a remote cattle and grain property near Clermont (a town in rural Queensland) and homeschooled until her mid-teens, she had no family ties to racing. It wasn’t until she attended boarding school in Charters Towers that she discovered her passion for the sport. And that’s how she got a chance meeting with former jockey Shane Scriven at a local track that unlocked her dream. What began as curiosity turned into a passion that pushed her through the barriers of an unfamiliar industry.

Now she is one of the rising stars of Australian racing. She has already racked up 99.5 wins this season and rides with poise beyond her years. In the 2024–2025 season, Angela surpassed the milestone of 100 wins, a major benchmark for any jockey. Backed by trainer Tony Gollan, she’s guided mare Floozie to four straight victories. But now, faced with a suspension that threatens to derail her momentum, she’s staring down her toughest test yet. The big question: can she overturn the ban and keep her premiership dream alive? It all depends on whether she appeals and if the appeal goes through.

And with the title this close, she just might need it to save her season. So, yes, Jones is widely expected to appeal the ruling before the Queensland Racing Appeals Panel. And really, why wouldn’t she? She can’t be next Craig Williams and Jye McNeil, both horse racing stars who experienced highs quickly overshadowed by setbacks. Remember 2015?

In 2015, Craig Williams had a standout day in October 2015 at Flemington, where he rode a treble, including a win aboard Jessy Belle in the Leilani Series. However, that same day, he was suspended for careless riding, missing seven metropolitan meetings afterward, including key races at Ballarat and Caulfield, which severely impacted his premiership chances. Similarly, Jye McNeil’s breakthrough came in October 2019 at The Valley, where he scored his first metropolitan treble. Unfortunately, he was suspended for 11 meetings due to interference during one of those wins. So, here’s hoping Angela Jones doesn’t bite off more than she can chew next. With her title hopes hanging by a thread, every day and every ride matter. For now, all she can do is keep her fingers crossed.