Popular jockey Linda Meech to finally ride in her first Golden Slipper

Linda Meech was happy to ride any horse for Annabel Neasham in her first Golden Slipper but she wasn’t expecting to get a live chance.

Linda Meech has two Group 1 rides in Sydney on Saturday, including her first in the Golden Slipper. Picture: Racing Photos via Images

When Annabel Neasham told Linda Meech she would find “something” for her to ride in Sydney the popular Victorian jockey wasn't necessarily thinking a live chance in the $5m Golden Slipper.

Meech was happy to pilot any of Neasham’s horses on Saturday as she was going to be at Rosehill anyway to ride Away Game in the Group 1 Galaxy for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.

A subsequent discussion between Neasham and OTI Racing boss Terry Henderson, who Meech has ridden a lot of winners for, led to her landing the ride on Lady Laguna.

“I’ve been good friends with Annabel since she was working with Ciaron,” Meech said.

“I said to her I was going to be up there and she said I’ll find something for you to ride.

“(Henderson) spoke to Annabel, when they were deciding jockeys, and she said what about (Meech), he said ‘that’d be great’, so that’s how it all turned out.”

Meech, Australia’s most prolific female jockey, has ridden more than 1750 winners in her career but never had the opportunity to ride in the Golden Slipper.

She coincidently rode her first Group 1 winner at Rosehill in 2015, guiding Peter Moody-trained Plucky Belle to victory in the Coolmore Classic.

Despite past Sydney hit-and-runs for Moody and others, including a riding stint with legendary trainer Gai Waterhouse, Meech had not been lucky enough in the past to snare a coveted Slipper ride.

“It’s really exciting to finally get a ride in it, lots of horses I’ve ridden work on (for Waterhouse) have raced in the Slipper and some of them have won it,” Meech said.

“It would be nice to have a ride in it, I’ve had quite a bit of luck at Rosehill before as well, it‘s a track I’m familiar with.”

Lady Laguna is a leading chance for the Golden Slipper. Picture: Getty Images

Meech, who has ridden four winners and six placings from 22 starts at Rosehill, will head to Sydney on Friday with her two-year-old son Anthony and a nanny in tow.

It will only be her second time aboard Lady Laguna, a $41 chance with TAB in the Golden Slipper, after a slick bit of work at Flemington last Friday.

“I gave her a little burn around the inside grass and I was really, really happy with her,” Meech said.

“She’s probably got a bit of an advantage being down in Melbourne, hasn’t been up there in the wet weather and been able to keep the work up.”

Meanwhile, Away Game is an $8.50 chance in The Galaxy.

Away Game ran second in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate last start behind Maher-Eustace stablemate Marabi.

“She never runs a bad race, probably only run one or two bad races her whole career,” Meech said.

“Super honest and the run behind Marabi in the Oakleigh Plate was sensational.”

Originally published as Popular jockey Linda Meech to finally ride in her first Golden Slipper