Through his Five Diamonds triumph, Reece Jones has rewarded Vivy Air’s ownership group, but he harbours extra determination to acknowledge their persistent backing by clinching the Doncaster Mile.

Aboard the Ciaron Maher-conditioned mare for her seasonal reappearance, where she charged home third to Lazzura in the Coolmore Classic (1500m), the minimal-weight jockey earned prompt retention for Saturday’s $4 million spectacle.

“I’m rapt to be able to ride her,” Jones said.

“Really stoked with the owners and connections for sticking with me from that Five Diamonds win, and to be able to ride her in the Coolmore when she had weight, it’s not like they were out of options.

“It was really pleasing to see that kind of faith in me, so hopefully I can reward them with a Group One.”

Jones’ elite credentials include the 2024 Metropolitan success astride Land Legend, with a few heartbreaks following, like his ill-fated third on Encap in the Doncaster from a year prior.

Vivy Air’s track record shines at Randwick 1600m with a win plus three seconds across four goes, and her second-up performances stand out.

She spent much of her initial phase as a consistent placer – over two years from second to third win featuring 11 non-victories – but Jones views her spring double as a step-up factor this season.

“I’d like to think she has come back a little bit stronger,” he said.

“She travelled really well for me the other day. She has settled down a lot from previous ‘preps’ and she is doing things really well at the moment.

“Those couple of wins are hopefully a nice confidence boost for her and she can build on that.

“Group Ones are hard to come by, hard to win, so she is going to have to be at her best to be in the finish, but I’m sure she is targeting the right way.”

Jones picks up the ride on Matt Cumani’s Tempesti for the Chairman’s Handicap (2600m), where the once-Italian stayer’s patchy six-start local record includes a sixth from the Manion Cup (2400m), prompting Jones’ optimism for enhancement.

“He showed something last start,” Jones said.

“He was hitting the line well and the step up in trip is going to be ideal. The Sydney way of going seems to be to his liking because it’s probably what he’s been used to (overseas).”

Discover the latest betting markets for the race at trusted sites ahead of the Doncaster Mile.