Meeks Earns Juan Saez Leading Apprentice Jockey Award

Following a strong racing season from start to finish, Apprentice Jockey Micah Meeks was honored with the 13th annual Juan Saez Leading Apprentice Jockey Award during closing week of the 2026 racing season at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Meeks completed her campaign in Indiana with 21 wins from 214 starts with purses of more than $525,000. A native of Northern California around the San Francisco area, Meeks developed a strong love of horses at an early age, getting her first experience with them through riding lessons at the age of five. Her parents are both attorneys, so she didn't have immediate access to horses. However, her admiration for horses led to her participation in the show jumping world. Her hope was to someday become a jockey. While working at a tack shop, one of her co-workers knew an owner at nearby Golden Gate Fields and she had a tour at the barn. That was Meeks opportunity to pursue a career in horse racing. "During our tour, I begged the trainer for a job, and she threw me up on a racehorse," recalled Meeks. "That was my first introduction to racing." Meeks scored her first win at Sacramento July 27, 2024, aboard Tizthehartofdixie, her sixth career start. After spending some time on the West Coast, she eventually ventured to the East Coast, riding for some time in Maryland before regrouping and taking about a year off from riding. She worked as an exercise rider for Eddie Kenneally and resumed riding at Fair Grounds this past winter, which led her to Horseshoe Indianapolis this spring. She immediately made an impact, winning her first Indiana race in April aboard Ad Litteram in her sixth start of the year. Just a few weeks later, she scored her first Indiana double. The wins continued to rack up. "I have to give a shout out to 'Bugsy' my agent," added Meeks about agent Jeremy Acridge, a former jockey in Indiana. "When I got here, he asked for my book. He had Joe Ramos, so it was a pretty easy switch to move to him. He's placed me on some great horses this season and I appreciate his hard work." One of the horses Meeks was introduced to was Grey Eclipse, a horse she galloped the entire season. She noted he wasn't the biggest money maker, but the grey gelding definitely stood out as her favorite to ride. In addition to favorites on the track, Meeks also bonded with fellow female jockey Hannah Leahey, recipient of the Juan Saez Leading Apprentice Jockey title in 2023. "Hannah (Leahey) and I have become really good friends," noted Meeks. "She rode in California a little too. We would toss ideas back and forth the whole meet. She really helped me a lot." Meeks was awarded the Juan Saez Leading Apprentice Jockey Award by Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing along with Rachel McLaughlin, Racing Broadcast Production Manager. The award is named in honor of 2014 Leading Apprentice Jockey Juan Saez, who passed away following a racing incident in 2014. As far as the next chapter for Meeks, she is headed back to California where she has already set up her corner in the jock's room, riding the past two weekends at Del Mar. She has been flying back and forth from Indiana but will now make the 36-hour drive to her new surroundings for the winter. "I'm not sure what I will do next summer," explained Meeks. "It just depends on what happens when I lose my bug. I hope to build up my business to be able to stay there, but you never know."