Mark Jones Champions the Next Generation

The McMillan Equine Feeds New Zealand Junior Drivers Championship rolls into Addington tonight, bringing with it all the hopes and pressures that come with chasing dreams. For a few young drivers, it’s about seizing a rare opportunity to make a name for themselves. For Mark Jones, a past champion and mentor, it’s a reminder of his own journey from bright-eyed rookie to world champion, and now, to the guy on the sidelines hoping to help someone else have their moment.

Back in 2000, Mark was just another young driver with big dreams and a taste for winning. He captured the NZ Junior Drivers Championship, setting the tone for what was to come. A year later, he took the NZ Drivers Premiership with 116 wins, becoming the youngest South Island-based driver to do so. But the peak came in 2003, when Jones traveled halfway around the world to Canada, leaned back in the sulky, and drove himself right into the history books by claiming the World Driving Championship. There he was, at age 24, doing something no one his age had ever done—winning on the world’s biggest stage, three points down heading into the final round, and charging home to win by a clear 10-point margin.

And in the stands? His late grandfather, Derek Jones, the man who taught him how to drive, how to win, and how to shrug off the losses that come just as fast. It was one of those moments that connects generations—past to present to future—a theme that runs deep in harness racing.

A Legacy of Winners

Mark wasn’t the first Kiwi to win the World Driving Championship, and he wouldn’t be the last. Before him, there were names like Maurice McKendry and Tony Herlihy, who also claimed both the NZ Junior Drivers Championship and the WDC, establishing themselves as pillars of New Zealand harness racing. To join that list is to join a legacy, a lineage of drivers who learned their trade on home soil before showing the world just how good Kiwis can be. The NZJDC has been a launching pad for many of the sport's best, and the story continues in 2024.

Supporting the Next Generation

Tonight, Jones won’t be in the driver’s seat. Instead, his focus is on two trotters—Meandad and Bullit Train—entrusted to young hands in Emily Johnson and Sam Thornley. It’s about letting someone else experience that electric mix of nerves and confidence at Addington. It’s about giving back to a sport that’s given him so much, standing on the sidelines but still feeling every turn, every stride. "It’s a special time for these young drivers," he says, as if he can still remember the feeling of those early races. "They work towards this all season."

It’s not just about giving them horses to drive. It’s about giving them the belief that they can compete, that they can win, that the magic that happens on the track might just carry them places they never thought possible.

Current Standings – It’s Still Anyone’s Game

The first two heats at Cambridge brought drama and promise. Zev Meredith took the early lead, guiding Faith in Manchester to victory, while Olivia Thornley, with her trademark determination, drove Benson Dude to win the second heat. They sit at 26 and 24 points, respectively, followed by Monika Ranger and Seth Hill—all within striking distance. This isn't a runaway; this is a dogfight. With heats tonight and Friday, the story of this year's championship is still being written.

And then there’s Olivia Thornley, who brings her own family ties into the mix, competing not only for points but for pride against her younger brother, Sam. These sibling rivalries, like the horses they drive, have a way of adding just a little more fire to the competition. Because when it’s family, it’s never just about the race.

The Path Ahead

As the NZ Junior Drivers Championship continues, it carries the weight of tradition and the urgency of a young person’s ambition. The stakes are more than just points and prizes. They’re about the chance to be noticed, to be remembered, to have a breakthrough moment on a chilly night at Addington that might just spark a career. For Jones, it's a chance to see someone else take that next step, knowing full well what it feels like to be on the other side of that opportunity.

Because in harness racing, the horses may run in circles, but the stories always push forward. They bring us back to the same places, only with different faces. And tonight, it’s the young drivers’ turn to show what they’ve got.

The action heats up at Addington, with the NZJDC unfolding not just as a race, but as the continuation of a story that’s been running for generations. The young ones are chasing the same dreams that once drove Mark Jones, Maurice McKendry, and Tony Herlihy. And for some of them, the road could stretch as far as the World Driving Championship itself.

It’s their time now. Let’s see what they do with it.