Team work key to Isabel Jessop's riding rise

By Jordan Gerrans

Trainer Jeff Dunn believes his emerging apprentice Isabel Jessop has the perfect mentor in his stable.

And, it isn’t Dunn himself.

The Beaudesert horseman thinks his partner – senior hoop Rikki Jamieson – has played a crucial role in the rise of the up-and-coming jockey.

The 24-year-old Jessop is in the infancy of her riding career.

Jessop has six race rides to her name after kicking off her career at Esk earlier this month and then heading to Goondiwindi the following Saturday.

From the six race day engagements so far, she has finished in the money on two occasions.

Jamieson – who has ridden in Group 1 races earlier in her career – has been a sounding board for Jessop since the young jockey joined the stable.

“She gets a lot of advice from Rikki and has been taken under her wing,” Dunn said.

“She was a little bit green at the start but we have not looked back since.

“As a trainer, I can’t take all the credit because Rikki is really a big part of it all and the stable has been going well of late.

“I think it is because we have got a really good team, myself, Rikki and Isabel – we all work well together.

“Isabel takes on the feedback really well from her Rikki when they watch race replays, trials or even just gallops.

“I think Rikki is underrated as a senior rider in Queensland and she is a great mentor for Isabel.”

As well as Jamieson, fellow Sunshine State senior hoop Brooke Ainsworth has also been key to Jessop’s growth, she says.

“Rikki has been amazing,” Jessop said.

“She has helped me since day dot when I started with Jeff, she has helped me with every aspect of it all.

“She has been super and Brooke helped me out beforehand, as well.

“They both have been lifesavers to me, they are such lovely girls and so hard-working.

“They have worked hard for what they have got now and I am lucky to have them on my side.”

Jessop spent a year under the guidance of trainer Olivia Cairns before she transferred over to Dunn as her boss.

The rookie rider hails from the Gold Coast originally but has lived at Beaudesert for the last four years on her riding journey.

She was born in England before relocating to Australia at three years of age.

The Dunn stable are experiencing a purple patch and the enthusiastic trainer puts the positive results down to the team work of his two riders.

Dunn has prepared four winners this month.

He has seven victories from his last 50 starters.

When the current racing season comes to an end, Dunn will have posted his career high mark as a trainer.

He has 13 victories so far in campaign 2023-24 which smashed his previous record of five winners in a season.

Jessop has big dreams when it comes to her riding career but what impresses her master the most is that she appreciates the learning process.

“She is obviously passionate about the horses and has a few herself,” Dunn said.

“The thing I love about her is that she is not in a hurry – she does not want to go straight to town and be winning Group 1s straight away, she wants to build her craft and get better and better.

“She could have had rides at TAB meetings already but she has decided that she is not ready yet and that is going to help her a lot.

“When she does go to TAB meetings, people are going to see that she can ride and she can use the stick and everything like that and then they are going to want to book her.

“She does want to go all the way to the top but she is not in a hurry at all – I think she will go far.

“She works hard and has come a long way since she has been with us.”

Jessop rode at Monday’s trials at Beaudesert and was set to gain more experience at St George Jockey Club on the non-TAB program before it was washed out on Saturday.

The apprentice hoop strapped Takunai for her boss on the Polytrack at the Gold Coast earlier this month with Jamieson in the saddle.

It was a special thrill for Jessop with the veteran gelding one of her favourites in the Dunn barn.

Jessop owns three former race horses which she used to compete with on a consistent basis before race riding took over her life.

She was a keen show jumper and enjoys retraining former race horses.

“My horses still get ridden but I just do not compete as much as I did previously,” she said.

“I have always loved off the track horses because I have ridden since I was about three years old when I got my first off the track horse as a kid.

“I absolutely loved him and I fell in love with them from there on, they are great horses.”