She enjoyed plenty of success in the saddle and now Mel Bolwell has experienced the joy of training a winner after Jonesy delivered the young Tamworth trainer a memorable first win at Coonabarabran on Saturday.
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In the training game for around only 12 months, that it was the three-year old - her pride and joy - that did it, made it all the more special.
Named in honour of friend and mentor Darren Jones, Bolwell's father Jason purchased the gelding for her while she was in hospital recovering from the fall that claimed Jones' life.
The first horse she ever raced she told The Leader leading into the meeting that she would love it if he could be her first winner.
Unfortunately she wasn't able to experience the thrill first hand but was riding every stride with him from Muswellbrook where she was with Ready To Go Go and Trust In a Star.
"It was definitely sad not being there," she said.
"But I'm over the moon."
"He's a horse that we've put so much work into."
Just over three years now since the accident, Bolwell said she knows Jones would have been riding him home and would have been so proud of her.
It was a matter of pretty much a nostril though with the gelding just sneaking home in a photo ahead of Sue Grills' Fantasma.
"I was watching the race," Bolwell said.
"We'd all finished at Muswellbrook and I was cheering and cheering."
"It took a while for the photo to come through but I thought he had it."
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There was some irony that it was Grills' horse Jonesy beat. She had taken him out to Coonabarabran for Bolwell and has helped out a lot with him.
"She sent me a message and said I'm so glad it was you that beat me," Bolwell said.
She said jockey James Rogers "rode him a treat".
"I couldn't have asked for a better ride," she said.
Jumping from the one barrier Jonesy was fast out of the gates but with Cinders taking up the running, Rogers settled him in about fourth. Pushing forward coming into the straight, Jonesy lost a bit of ground to the leader at one stage but fought back and kicked clear with Fantasma over the final metres.
Still hoping to be able to ride competitively again one day, Bolwell said to train her first winner felt "pretty special" and "definitely fills that feeling that I have been missing".
On what he had produced in work she had gone into the race with high hopes and believes he'll get a lot out of the run.
"He likes to fight it out," she said.
Bolwell will probably look to step him up in distance and push out to the mile.
"Especially the way he raced today, he does want further," she said.
The win was some consolation for the disappointing results of Ready To Go Go and Trust In A Star, after they finished 11th and ninth respectively.
