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By Abby Delucyk

“I just remember sitting in the hall doing my HSC and that’s when it clicked, that all I wanted to do was ride horses and be a jockey.”

This was the defining moment where apprentice jockey Amy McLucas discovered she wanted to pursue racing as a career and has since become one to watch this season.

Currently ranked in the top 10 for the 2022/23 Rising Star Series, the upcoming jockey’s move to the city has definitely paid off with her finding her stride in this new league.

A young Amy would have never dreamt this would be her life now, with her passion for riding being born at Moruya Pony Club where she excelled in the disciplines of show jumping and eventing.

“It was in my last year of pony club where I won all the awards from different competitions. I just loved it so much,” McLucas said.

With McLucas well and truly having a taste for winning, the young gun decided to challenge herself and instead switched her mind to the track.

“I wanted to start trackwork riding before school as a way to make money and just to have a job. As I have always been small and light, riding became quite naturally to me,” she says.

The catalyst for Amy starting her apprenticeship was the influence of trainer Chris Hensler, who encouraged her to try out riding on the track.

Describing herself as an adrenaline junky, McLucas still remembers her first jump out on Hensler’s horse Janice where she first felt the thrill of riding.

Amy McLucas. Photo: Bradley Photos

This inspiration from Chris resulted in Amy riding her first ever winner for the Moruya based trainer on Atomic Blast at Moruya in 2019.

She backed up this performance in August of 2022, when she won her first metropolitan race on Pokerjack for Tash Burleigh.

She has since continued this winning streak on Pokerjack by going on to win 3 highways, with her most recent being at Rosehill Gardens on the 7^th of January this year.

“The best bit about riding is when you ride a winner because of the excitement and happiness you give the trainers and connections of the horse. It feels like you’ve done them proud and makes them so happy.”

Although Amy continues to rise through the ranks, she also mentions the hardships involved with being a jockey.

“I think a challenge is the mental and physical strain this industry can have on you. It’s a 24/7 job and with the travel, it can really take it out of you,” Amy mentions.

To balance the dedication Amy puts into riding, she says the key is to “make time for yourself and get some down time which helps keep your mental state in a good way.”

With Amy becoming a familiar face in the city, she hasn’t let the pressure get to her and instead is content with focusing on her physical state so that she can ride for as long as possible.

“I don’t see myself training racehorses in the future but would love to continue riding and hopefully ride some winners along the way,” McLucas says.

“Any race to win is just as exciting.”

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