On Saturday, she got that chance when riding the promising 2-year-old filly Parlophone (I Am Invincible) for Price and training partner Mick Kent Jnr in the Listed Lightning S. at Morphettville.
That Price would put Eaton aboard the talented but wayward filly was a huge show of faith in the apprentice and she delivered on that faith when Parlophone charged over the top of her rivals to win by 3l for her first ever black-type win as a jockey.
"It’s pretty massive, but for me personally, it meant so much more because I was able to ride a winner for Mick Price. That's where my career started and he was the one who encouraged me to be an apprentice and I wouldn't have been one if it wasn't for him," Eaton told TDN AusNZ.
"It’s been a personal goal of mine to have an opportunity to ride a winner for him and for it to be a black-type race, it’s a massive thing. A wave of emotion hit me after I hit the line. I had to work hard to keep composed during my post-race interview and to have achieved that is a really big thing for me."
Eaton admits she was nowhere near ready to become a jockey when she went to work for Price's stables a few years back, but the faith the trainer put in her proved a defining moment in her career.
"It’s been a personal goal of mine to have an opportunity to ride a winner for him and for it to be a black-type race, it’s a massive thing." - Jess Eaton
"When I started working for him, I was pretty green. I had one job for Mick Kent riding trackwork and that was a lot of young pre-trainer type horses. When I started working for Mick Price, I didn’t have a lot of experience," she said.
"He gave me so many opportunities. He put me on the right horses to learn how to do gallops. He was more than willing to let me do trials and jump-outs before I even really thought being a jockey was an option for me.
"I was naturally small and light and the more experience I got, the more opportunities I got. I was lucky enough to be able to ride some really nice horses like (Group 1 winner) Samaready regularly in trackwork. Mick just slowly kept prompting the idea and encouraging me to give it a go."
That was back in 2014 when a 20-year-old Eaton chanced her hand and was accepted into Racing Victoria's Apprentice Program.
"While riding horses is something I have always loved doing, racing was pretty new to me. I did a lot of eventing and rode my own performance horses, but the more I did in racing, the more I fell in love with it, and with Mick's encouragement, I took the steps to become an apprentice," she said.
Have saddle, will travel
While Eaton has had her fair share of success, riding 136 winners, her career in the saddle has been less than straightforward. She had a run of falls which resulted in bad breaks and spells on the sidelines, while the resultant lack of opportunities meant she had to be prepared to pack her bags to seek out greener pastures on several occasions.
"I started (my apprenticeship) with Mick Price, and obviously being a 4kg claimer with little to no experience, Mick's stable probably wasn't the right stable to get opportunities. Given the profile of horses and owners he has, he naturally steers towards more experienced jockeys," she said.
"I guess that experience set me up to have those expectations and realise racing is a career and if I want the opportunities you just have to take them where you can." - Jess Eaton
"Matt Hyland and Matt Pumpa encouraged me to go to Albury to Brett Cavanough's early in my apprenticeship and that move was tough. I didn’t think I would have to do that so early in my career but it held me in better stead for the future.
"Since then, I have had quite a few big moves, I went to Stawell to base with Terry and Karina O'Sullivan and I got the chance to go to Singapore for a few weeks. I guess that experience set me up to have those expectations and realise racing is a career and if I want the opportunities you just have to take them where you can."
Adelaide move sets up biggest success
It was that attitude which led Eaton to decide at the start of June, in the midst of a COVID crisis which had closed state borders, to move to Adelaide and try her luck under the guidance of Michael Hickmott.
"It was a tough decision. I left my partner and my dogs behind. But my time ends in March next year and opportunities were quite tough in Melbourne," she said.
"I wanted to make the most of my apprenticeship time, of what I had left while and I thought Adelaide was a great place to go to. I've been over there several times before and had success and good support. I thought why not make the most of my time as an apprentice and do my best to outride my claim. It was a logical move to get more experience and hopefully more success."
She has ridden six winners through July, highlighted by a city double on Saturday, including that breakthrough stakes success on Parlophone, a filly she sees as having a big future.
"She's quirky but talented, and it was good to see her do everything right yesterday. She hung in a little bit but there is loads of ability there," she said.
Parlophone bucked for jockey Damien Oliver on debut at Flemington back in January and even at her most recent start before Saturday, a win at Sandown, threatened to do the same. But there was no such bad behaviour at Morphettville, with Eaton feeling the filly had matured.
"Even the trip in itself to Adelaide helps bring them on, and her behaviour all-round was perfect yesterday. She was perfect in the mounting yard and heading to the gates. There was a bit of commotion in the barriers while waiting for the jump, she had plenty of opportunities to lose her composure, but everything in her demeanour and behaviour was perfect," she said.
"She jumped out and never gave me the feeling like she was going to do anything wrong, so I think it's very encouraging for Mick and the connections. She is starting to become a real racehorse and is going to hit some bigger targets."
Eaton taking her chances
Those bigger targets are unlikely to be back in Adelaide which means Eaton is unlikely to be aboard, but she is very much aware of the importance of that win in terms of putting her in the shop window should Price and Kent Jnr, or any other trainers, bring horses across the border.
There was little time to reflect the success, as Eaton had four rides at Gawler on Sunday, but she knows all too well, that this game tends to give you time to think about the successes of the past soon enough.
"Being out of the saddle with injuries makes you realise how much you love what you are doing, and how badly you want to get back out there," she said.
"It certainly makes my determination a lot stronger. Every comeback I've made, I've come back a better rider. I focus on different things, in terms of fitness and riding and there is more improvement to come.
"Those times you have, it gives you the chance to appreciate the success you have had. You can watch and learn from other riders and it’s all helpful. You have to see the good things out of the negatives, instead of letting it get you down."
