Three digits from Amy signals her winning treble at Moruya 04/04/2026. Go Gazza strolls home in the BM50 for trainer Cindy Pearson - courtesy Bradley Photographers.

Far away from the glitz and glamour of Royal Randwick on day two of The Championships, Amy McLucas rounded off an amazing week at Saturday’s Goulburn meeting. Exactly a week earlier she’d posted three wins and a second from five rides at Moruya. At Goulburn her four rides produced another winning treble and a second placing. In between she’d had two unplaced rides - one at Rosehill on Easter Monday, the other at Gosford on Thursday. Six winners and two seconds from eleven rides in the space of a week ain’t bad. But wait there was more to come. Lots more in fact!

Amy took a leisurely drive to Moruya on Sunday afternoon to spend some time with her mother Alison and stepfather Shaun Coady before fulfilling five commitments the following day at the Sapphire Coast meeting. A penny for her thoughts as she headed to the popular South Coast track. Even if she failed to ride another winner she’d surely have to be happy with the results of the previous week. Ride another winner! With her confidence high and adrenaline flowing she attacked from the get-go and politely reeled off another treble, with a third placing thrown in just to keep the averages up.

The lightweight jockey opened the batting with an easy win for local trainer Greg Backhouse on three year old filly Sunset Ridge in the 1200m Cl 2, opening race of the day. She sat the second race out before finishing third on Empty Pockets in the following event. Amy and Greg Backhouse struck again in the $30,000 Merimbula Cup with I Doubt It, and what an impressive performance it was by the four year old mare. Another win on another mare materialised in the fifth race when Amy pushed out of a pocket in the straight to score a decisive win on Casino Shaw in a BM 58. This one gave her a special buzz because the five year old is trained by her stepfather Shaun Coady. Her final ride of the day was on Jalmari in the last race and this time she finished in the bunch. From sixteen rides over three race meetings the young jockey had posted nine wins and three placings. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Amy completes her third winning treble in nine days on Casino Shaw in a BM58 at the Sapphire Coast. The 5yo mare is trained by her stepfather Shaun Coady - courtesy Bradley Photographers.

Amy’s Easter Saturday haul at Moruya was of special significance. She grew up in the historically important south coast township and retains a very strong attachment to the place where her love affair with horses began. The presence of family members on the day, put the icing on the cake. The twenty seven year old was thrilled to open the programme with a rails-hugging win on Hunter One for her staunch supporter Theresa Bateup. She then finished second on Winnie Fortune in the third race, before scoring an effortless BM50 win on Selhurst Park for her former boss Michael Gatty in the fourth. This seven year old gelding became the horse to deliver Amy her important 200th career win. She completed her treble in the last of six races on Go Gazza for local trainer Cindy Pearson.

The Michael Gatty trained Selhurst Park brings up Amy's 200th win at Moruya 04/04/2026 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.

Fast forward seven days and the young jockey struck early at Goulburn with a win on Lucky Star for friend and former jockey Claire Lever in a 1600m race for Cl 1 and Maiden Horses. Two races later she missed by a neck on Mr. Usher in a 1400m Maiden but was back in the winner’s circle thirty five minutes later on Kisses For Jody for Tash Burleigh, another former jockey who’s successfully turned to training. Amy posted her second treble in seven days when Royal Memory showed plenty of fight to win the final race for local trainer Terry Gibson. And so the curtain came down on a wildly exciting week in the life of the “horse mad” kid from Moruya. She had no way of knowing her winning trot was destined to continue at the Sapphire Coast two days later. Every time she rides a winner Amy reflects on her very late start in the NSW riding ranks.

Six for the week! Amy completes another treble on Royal Memory for Terry Gibson at Goulburn 11/04/2026 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.

“I took a long time to make up my mind to become a jockey,” she said. “I’d been absorbed in pony club, showjumping and eventing for six years or more and suddenly I was eighteen years old. I made enquiries about a job as a trackwork rider at Moruya mainly to earn some pocket money. Former jockey Kayla McEwen put me in touch with a few local trainers and I was soon turning up for trackwork. I was hooked from the time I rode my first slow gallop. The horse in question was so slow they hadn’t even bothered naming him but he was the perfect mount for a beginner. After riding my first fast gallop I was completely gone on the idea of getting an apprenticeship. I was lucky to gain a start with local trainer Jamie Stewart who got me up and running before transferring me to another local Michael Gatty.

“It was Canberra trainer Doug Gorrel who supplied my first race ride on Exaggerate from the inside gate in a BM55 at Canberra, and what a lovely ride he was. He flew out of the gates and raced handy all the way before finishing third to Classic Conquest. Exaggerate was a perfect debut ride, and I’ll always be grateful to Doug for making it possible.”

Memories of her first winning ride at Moruya in September 2019 are nowhere near as pleasant. “Chris Hensler was good enough to put me on Atomic Blast in a BM58, but I realise now I wasn’t ready for the horse,” says Amy. “I got moving from the 700m and got the shock of my life when he drifted to the centre of the track on the hometurn. He continued to lay out down the straight and I was on the outside fence when we hit the line with a bunch of horses on my inside. I didn’t know where I’d finished and I nearly fell out of the saddle when my number went into the frame. So there it was - my first win and I didn’t even know I’d won. It’s still a blur.”

Amy wasn't concerned that she'd used a fair bit of the track on Atomic Blast. She'd ridden her first winner and the smile said it all! - courtesy Bradley Photographers.

In the middle of 2020 Amy grabbed the opportunity to transfer her indentures to Lucy and Emma Longmire at Goulburn, and with this relocation came the opportunity to ride work for several other trainers. Within a few months it was obvious she was improving rapidly and race rides were starting to come her way. She was the headline act at a Canberra midweek meeting just after Xmas 2021 landing a treble for three different trainers - Mick Smith, John Thompson and Matthew Dale. John Thompson must have been suitably impressed because not long after he approached the Longmire sisters with a proposal to take Amy under a three month loan-out arrangement.

The promising young rider began her new challenge with gusto landing a winning double at Newcastle on “pick-up” rides Orbital Express for Jeremy Gask and Washington Towers for Todd Smart. With the wind in her sails Amy notched another Newcastle double just a week later on Departing Bullet for Paul Niceforo and Sonnet Star for Damien Lane. Her talents were well and truly highlighted at Rosehill in November of 2022 when she won the Country Classic on the quirky, unpredictable and headstrong Irish import Marsabit. For many months the gelding had sorely tested the patience of his trainer, expert horseman Danny Williams.

The apprentice angled over from a wide gate in the 2000m event to have Marsabit midfield one horse off the fence on the first turn. On the hometurn Amy was in restricted room on the inside of Lord Desanimaux but quickly corrected that hiccup. Averse to being recognised as a “shrinking violet” she very quickly nudged her way out and put Marsabit into clear air. The imported horse loomed menacingly but still had a trick or two up his sleeve. He suddenly veered out three or four horses prompting Amy to switch hands with the whip, a move that usually corrects the problem. Not the case with Marsabit. He did exactly the opposite and ducked out even further. Experienced race watchers marvelled at the fact that young McLucas was able to get the difficult gelding home from Dream Runner and Beckworth. Despite his ornery disposition Amy will remember Marsabit as the horse to provide her 100th race win.

Marsabit tried to find a way to get beaten in the 2022 Country Classic at Rosehill but Amy managed to coax him home - courtesy Bradley Photographers.

By her own admission Amy became very unsettled in the city environment during her stint with John Thompson and was happy to return to Goulburn until she felt better equipped to take on the big stage. Finally, another loan-out situation came along, this time with the Waterhouse/Bott operation at Randwick. “Because of my late start as an apprentice, I’d been granted a twelve month extension, and that put me in a great frame of mind when I moved back to Sydney. I was much better prepared this time around and didn’t want to waste such a great opportunity,” said Amy. “I rode a huge amount of work with some of Australia’s best jockeys and got to ride some special horses. Horses like Alligator Blood, Lady Of Camelot, Just Fine and Storm Boy just to give you an idea.

“I was also given some amazing race day opportunities which brought me several city wins. I’ll always remember metropolitan wins on Vanquished, Zelady Luck, Madrina, Sweet Baby Boom, Omni Man and Gold Revolver. The stable also put me on a number of winners at the Newcastle and Kembla Saturday meetings. To this day I still pop in from time to time and ride a bit of work for Gai and Adrian.”

One of several wins for the Waterhouse/Bott yard - a 2yo race at Randwick on Madrina 08/06/2024 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.

Amy cherishes memories of city wins for good friends and supporters like Keith Dryden and Tash Burleigh. “I got a big kick out of winning a Rosehill TAB Highway for Keith on a horse called Trooper Knuckle a while back,” said the jockey. “There was a bit of biff and bash before I got into the clear and it was a relief when he went past the post. Another of my all time favourite horses is Pokerjack trained by one of my favourite trainers Tash Burleigh. I’ve won six races on old “Jack” including two at Rosehill, two at Randwick and one at Canterbury. You don’t forget horses like Pokerjack, and Tash has handled him brilliantly all the way through.”

Of all Amy’s race wins, few have given her more satisfaction than her 2025 Bega Cup success on Direct Fire for great supporter Theresa Bateup. “To start with I’m very fond of Direct Fire,” said the jockey. “I also won a Rosehill Midway on him and I’ve lost count of the number of placings we’ve had together. To win the Bega Cup for Theresa on that horse was a huge thrill. She’s been a very important part of my career.”

This one gave Amy a big kick! A Bega Cup win on Direct Fire for great supporter Theresa Bateup - courtesy Bradley Photographers.

Amy still wonders why it took her so long to embrace the idea of becoming a jockey. “My late grandfather Gordon McLucas dabbled in horse ownership with Frank Cleary years ago, but apart from that there was no racing background in the family,” she said. “My mum Alison worked on stud farms way back but never got into racing. I could ride from an early age and got sick of people telling me I was the right size for a jockey. I could still get very close to 52kg with a bit of notice. I haven’t had an allowance for almost three years now and it’s been very tough going. I’ve just kept putting in the hours and I’ve had some great support from old mates. Looking back maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t start right out of school because many apprentices are sick of it by 18 or 19 years of age. I’m as keen as I’ve ever been, and I’ll keep putting in the hard yards as long as I’m getting the support. A few more of these trebles won’t do any harm either.”

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