It’s been many years now since a young, quietly spoken girl from Pongaroa, near Woodville on New Zealand’s North Island made her way through customs at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne. 

At the tender age of 18, while many teenagers in Australia and New Zealand were still getting over schoolies, Linda Meech was determined that racing would be her much driven career. 

“I didn’t come from a racing family. Sure, we had horses and I do remember those days in the beautiful pastures of my hometown, but Melbourne and its opportunities was what I was after,” Meech said. 

The apprentice accompanied a small team of horses trained by Kevin (Dummy) Myers to the Ballarat stables of Paddy Payne to chase some lucrative prizemoney in country cups and minor races. 

After the successful campaign, the horses returned across the ditch but Meech stayed. 

Finishing her apprenticeship with Stawell trainer Terry O’Sullivan, Meech had a riding stint in Sydney with Gai Waterhouse. However, Meech quietly carved out a career and eventually commanded the attention leading Melbourne trainer, Peter Moody. 

Meech started off getting rides from Moody at Saturday provincial meetings but she was soon rewarded with a city winner and in 2015 landed the first of two Group One victories, the Coolmore Classic on Plucky Belle. 

Moody described Meech as ‘the best horse in the stable’ - at least until Black Caviar came along. Moody and Meech combined for 286 wins from 1119 races – a winner every four rides. 

“I think my career blossomed after I came out of my time and now at 40, I’ve registered 1700 winners and have hopefully made a name for myself with leading trainers,” Meech said. 

Meech rode her first century of winners in 2008 – a decade after arriving – and in the 2018-19 season was Victoria’s premier jockey.  

She decided to also add another string to her profile when she secured a trainer’s licence in the small town of Stawell, 300 kms north-east of Melbourne.   

But suddenly Meech made another fundamental change to her life. Falling pregnant to partner Mark Pegus, Meech gave birth to Anthony Wilbur Pegus in February of this year.   

And then five months after she described “their gift of life” had arrived her husband’s training business and her riding career met a significant juggling act. 

Throw in the COVID 19 which was heavily layered with conditions and rules that for once the girl who, in the very upper echelon of riding in Victoria, had to carefully navigate her re-emergence. 

“I had to move things around and in COVID I had a red pass which meant I could drive from Stawell straight to the races, let’s say in Melbourne, and then straight home.  I didn’t even stop for petrol.  I didn’t want to be away for any unnecessary time from the baby so that’s how I worked it,” Meech said. 

Last Saturday week Meech was successful at Moonee Valley when picking up a late ride for the suspended Jamie Kah.  Meech was back in city demand. 

The likes of Peter Moody and the big stables during the Spring Carnival are sitting up and taking notice that Meech is back in business. 

Then last Saturday she showed why she is held in so much regard by the Australian racing community when she scored on He’s A Balter at Caulfield. 

The question is asked, “that was a lovely ride” to which she answered “it may have been but it was against my instructions”. 

The brutally honest Meech was arguably tough on herself as her mount began well and none of her eight opponents wanted to lead so she assumed the role and in a picture perfect ride left her rivals in her wake giving herself another city success in just a week. 

“With the ever present COVID-19, a baby and a husband as a horse trainer, makes for a busy household. But Mark, his mother, a babysitter and I, hopefully make the around the clock work manageable.” 

Having known Linda Meech all her sturdy and strong work ethic, nothing is too much from a little Kiwi girl who climbed the ladder to be amongst the very best in Australia.