Amy McLucas has continued her breakout season with the apprentice jockey linking up with the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott team.
It was only in 2019 that McLucas had her first start on the Doug Gorrel-trained Exaggerate at Canberra before landing her first victory later that year on the Chris Hensler-trained Atomic Blast at Moruya.
Born in Canberra and raised in Moruya, McLucas started with popular local trainer Jamie Stewart, then spent time with Mike Gatty before linking up with the Emma and Lucy Longmire team and spending three years with the Goulburn stable.
McLucas has significantly improved, having progressed from riding at places like Tumut, Cooma, Braidwood, and Bombala to making a name for herself in town, notching up 125 victories while seemingly winning Highway Handicaps for fun.
In fact, the 23-year-old won her sixth Highway at Rosehill Gardens on June 17, guiding the Matthew Dale-trained Acapella Sun to a well-overdue win in the $120,000 Class Three Handicap.
Trained by Matthew Dale, the three-year-old Sebring Sun filly had been knocking on the door of a win following back-to-back thirds at Rosehill Gardens in late May and early June.
McLucas had some work to do to find open space. Still, once she did, the Goulburn filly showed off a good turn of foot to find the front before holding on to win by half-a-length from the Joseph Burges-trained Zaru ($16), with the Terry Robinson-trained Deni Gal (Tom Sherry, $51) hitting the line strongly to finish third, beaten 0.85 of a length.
When asked if she was ‘Queen of the Highway’, McLucas deflected all the praise back on Goulburn trainers that have supported her trips to the city.
“Five of my six highway wins have been for Goulburn trainers; I get a lot of support from there and love having success for country trainers,” McLucas said.
Her success in Highway Handicaps undoubtedly put her on the radar of leading trainers, which has led to other opportunities in town, and she said none of it would have been possible without the support of the Longmire stable.
“I wouldn’t be where I am now without them, and they have been a rock to my success,” McLucas said.
“They started letting me ride in town, and I was on loan to John Thompson, but I came back to Goulburn, and then they let me go back to Sydney to ride outside work three times a week, with two of those days for Gai and Adrian.
“I was pretty well riding freelance, and they allowed me to do that, and it’s helped me to get to where I am.”
Now with Tulloch Lodge, McLucas is living out a ‘dream’ as she looks to make a name for herself as one of the leading apprentices in NSW.
“It was always the dream, and I guess I was probably putting myself down because I know how hard it is to get here,” McLucas said.
“It’s hard to explain now that I’m here; I just didn’t think I’d get here, and I just get lost for words with it, but I’m very happy.”
The move has been the biggest challenge, but it is made easier because McLucas has been helping out the stable over the past six months.
“The change is big for me; I get so set in a routine, and a new routine can be stressful,” McLucas said.
“Still, I’ve been riding at Gai and Adrian’s since late last year, and I know their routine there, and I’m basically part of the team, so it’s just getting used to being there every day.”
When asked about the move, she hopes it is permanent as she looks to finish her apprenticeship with a flurry of metropolitan and provincial wins.
“I’m on loan for now, but there is a big chance I’ll stay if it all goes well,” McLucas said.
“I think it is a perfect time for me to go now and have a good crack; I’ve got one year left on my apprenticeship, so I’ll get into it and see what I can get done.”
McLucas, who won on the Gregory Hickman-trained Insider Trader at Hawkesbury on Thursday, is already a hot commodity, with a big book of rides at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, before venturing to Muswellbrook on Monday and Wyong on Tuesday, and she wants to keep winning.
“I want to make it in town, and I think that’s everyone’s goal, but my biggest goal is being successful and making owners, trainers, and everyone in the industry happy.”
