Jai Williams with eyes on city riding ranks

By Jordan Gerrans

Rising apprentice Jai Williams is starting to lay the groundwork for his eventual move into the city riding ranks.

The 19-year-old has been in prolific form on the Gold Coast in recent months, headlined by a five victory haul on the Polytrack in the middle of last month.

Williams comes from rich racing stock in his family and is born and bred on the Gold Coast.

The emerging hoop already has one eye on moving to the metropolitan area for the 2024-25 season and will begin riding track work in Brisbane one day a week soon to build connections.

As fellow talented youngster Bailey Wheeler has done in recent weeks, Williams is keen to follow to the city after strong riding form at the Saturday provincial track.

Williams may even start in the city in the later stages of the 2023-24 campaign to help build momentum into the coming season.

“Hopefully with the new season I can go bang if I get the right stables behind me,” Williams said.

“I am going to start riding work in Brisbane once a week soon so I can hopefully show my face to these trainers and let them know who I am and I am keen to put the hard yards in.”

Williams is indentured to former harness racing participant turned gallops trainer Jay Bellamy.

Bellamy has known his apprentice since Williams was just 15 years of age.

On the afternoon Williams piloted a handful of winners at the Gold Coast, two of those victories were for his boss.

Bellamy watched on with pride, not just for the results on the track but for the energy and effort his apprentice has put in over the years to now reap the rewards.

“I am really proud of him, he has had to do a lot hard work to get to where he has got to,” the trainer said.

“He has turned up every morning, he rides them all and is doing the hard yards.

“He has had to keep his head down and bum up working, he has always had the ability but he just had to do the hard work. He is getting the rewards now.”

Williams’ father Guy Williams is a former jockey and his mother Jessica Black has worked for a number of racing stables over the years.  

He began his apprenticeship with Stephen Lee in Ballina before eventually landing with Bellamy.

Williams has been mentored by veteran trainer John Wallace throughout his life. He also spent some time in Sydney before heading home.

Williams is equal-second on the provincial jockeys' premiership title so far this campaign, trailing only fellow apprentice Emily Lang.

He is in the top 10 for winners across the state.

“I am hoping to get more opportunities with the bigger stables behind me going forward,” the young rider said.

“I need a big stable in my corner to give me a go. I am getting good support now from people like Lee Freedman, who is backing me a lot.

“Stephen Lee is supporting me as well and just getting on the right horses, that is what helps.”

The five victory haul last month created plenty of buzz around Williams but regardless of the results, he feels as though he is a more mature and balanced rider of late.

“I still have a lot of improvement in me but I definitely feel like I have improved recently,” he said.

“I had about six months off and I feel like I was not riding very good before that but now I feel like I am a bigger and better rider again.

“I am more mature and more tactical with my riding.

“I am working a lot harder now, working twice as hard as I was beforehand, which helps.”

He has a strong book of engagements this Saturday at Aquis Park and highlighted Cosmic Serenade for trainer Indiana Turner as the pick of his bookings.

The five-year-old mare has won her last two on the Polytrack with Williams in the saddle in the first of the recent triumphs.

“The horse has a big heart and is in great form,” he said.

“She goes good on this Polytrack and will be hard to beat on her form.

“My two kilograms off will help as well.”

Williams is planning to lower his riding weight to 53kgs for the coming summer months.