Canberra Has Its First Training Trio

Joseph, Jones & Jones is a name befitting a prestigious law firm, but it represents in fact, Canberra’s newest thoroughbred training partnership.

After six years ‘off and on’ as foreman to Barbara Joseph and Paul Jones, son and younger brother Matt Jones is officially joining the family team as a third co-trainer.

Matt Jones has always had a close involvement in the stable operations, and especially in the last year when his brother Paul was out of action for three months recovering from knee reconstruction.

“Mum wanted me officially on-board last year, but I had a private business and it needed to be sold,” Matt said.

Joseph- Jones Racing is coming off its most successful season, which included former Kiwi Almost Court’s win in the Canberra Cup.

“The stable has never been stronger and we have some quality young gallopers coming through," he said.

“Having three trainers brings many advantages, not the least to better manage the considerable travel involved in horse racing these days.

It is getting harder and harder for single-trainer operations and you often see horses competing at country venues with the trainer present.

“In the new season we will likely have horses race in Melbourne and Darwin and we will be in a position to have one of us oversee first-hand, their entire campaigns."

Matt says one of his priorities over the next few years will be to bring the Sapphire Stable operation up to its full potential.

“We rotate horses through the Sapphire Coast and the bush and beach environment is proving particularly beneficial to our older horses — many of whom have had a new lease on life.

“Mum is very much ‘old school’ and Paul and I like to think of ourselves ‘new school’ bringing contemporary ideas to the table — from food to training regimes.

“We don’t always agree, of course, but in the end consensus is reached and Mum — as head of the family — still has the final say!”

Training trios are infrequent in Australia, but certainly in the cases of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig, and John, Michael and Wayne Hawkes, they have proved a winning formula.

One of the trail-blazers for women in the racing industry, Barbara Joseph commenced her training career in 1975 in the small southern NSW town of Bombala.

It’s from there she trained Merimbula Bay to win the Group 1 Doncaster Handicap, earning herself the life-long moniker ‘The Baroness Of Bombala’.

In 1994, Joseph moved her principal training operations to Thoroughbred Park in Canberra and has been one of the Capital’s leading trainers ever since.

At the commencement of the 2010-2011 racing season Jones formally  included her son Paul Jones in the business as co-trainer under the banner Joseph & Jones Racing.

The stable maintains agistment, spelling and pre-training operations at its 3,000 acre Bombala property and in June 2017 opened stables at the Sapphire Coast to provide more variety for it racing team.

Matt is a highly experienced horseman and his deserved elevation to a co-trainer role will be warmly received in the capital and he is set to make a substantial contribution to the iconic stables on-going success.