Meeks picks up first career victory
A win in a sleepy maiden claimer for fillies and mares at the Cal-Expo fair in Sacramento, Calif. on July 27 provided a first career victory for 18-year-old jockey Micah Meeks.
With her sixth career mount, Meeks won the race at 1 1/16 miles aboard Tizthehartofdixie by a commanding 6 1/2 lengths.
“It was so cool,” Meeks reflected a few days later. “It was amazing. If you’re going to win that’s the way to do it.”
Meeks had her first mount at the Alameda county fair in Pleasanton on June 14, having worked for more than a year as an exercise rider in Northern California.
This weekend, Meeks has one mount at the Sonoma county fair in Santa Rosa on Saturday and two on Sunday.
Tizthehartofdixie is trained by Melanie McDonald, who has supported Meeks as an exercise rider and jockey.
“I’ve been working for her for over a year,” Meeks said. “I’m really glad it was for her.”
Later this summer, Meeks said she plans to ride the Humboldt county fair in Ferndale, which begins on Aug. 23. Unlike Pleasanton, Sacramento or Santa Rosa, which have dirt tracks that are a mile in circumference, the Ferndale track is a half-mile, and will present new challenges.
“I’ve never ridden the bullring before,” Meeks said, in reference to the smaller Ferndale track.
The Humboldt county fair races at Ferndale through Sept. 8. Meeks said she is planning to move to Grants Pass in Oregon later this year.
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