Melea Castle and daughter Courtney on the same wavelength

By Jordan Gerrans

Jockeys and toddlers have a few things in common, with one of the major ones being an irregular sleeping pattern.

Jockeys are up well before the sun rises to ride track work, before usually heading home for a mid-morning nap, and then most likely going to bed early in the evening to ensure they are not tired for the next morning.

Throw in flights and drives around the Sunshine State for riding commitments and a jockeys usual sleeping routine can be quickly thrown out the window.

As most parents understand, a toddlers sleeping pattern is anything but predictable.

So, for in-form apprentice jockey Melea Castle and her two-year-old daughter Courtney – they work together to make it through the irregularities in their schedules.

“She will nap when I need to nap, she is good like that,” Castle said with a smile.

“Whenever I get home from work or the races, I spend all my time with her, that time is about her.”

It can be a stressful and hectic life as an apprentice jockey trying to make it in the racing industry, as well as juggling motherhood, but the rising 23-year-old is making it work as best she can.

Young Courtney is often seen at a race track in South East Queensland, with Castle declaring she is hopeful that her daughter is proud of the way she is going in the saddle, as well as focusing on her many roles at home.

The Brisbane-based rider has recently recorded her first two metropolitan victories in what she plans to be a long career of riding in the city.

The lightweight hoop works for Group 1-winner Chris Meagher and the experienced trainer has seen drastic improvement in his apprentice in the last year since she arrived at his stables.

“Melea has progressed a lot in the almost 12 months she has been with us now,” the Brisbane-based trainer said.

“She still has a way to go but that is only natural.

“Her improvement has had in that short period of time has been great.

“She has come along in leaps and bounds in the short time she has been with me and hopefully that can continue.”

Courtney will be at the Meagher stables on a few afternoons a week as her mum completes the duties that come along with being a burgeoning hoop.

“She is a good little kid and quite easy going,” Castle said of her daughter.

“She makes it so much easier for me and she makes it all worth it.

“She comes to the track a lot and she loves the horses.

“It is good to have her there at the track, it is a good distraction for me.”

Castle thinks she has “improved out of sights” under Meagher.

Castle has slowly progressed in her time riding towards competing on the big stage of the city.

She has been a regular on the country and provincial circuit in the Sunshine State in recent years before stepping up a level.

Castle collected her first metro level triumph on a recent Wednesday for Darling Downs trainer Lindsay Hatch before grabbing her maiden Saturday victory for her boss on the Gold Coast not long after.

Hatch is a renowned supporter of up-and-coming riders and was glad to give the young mum an opportunity.

“I was happy to put her on as when they draw good alleys, they can position up,” Hatch said.

“The weight relief is a good thing, I believe.”

The hoop thinks it is important that she has not rushed to the big smoke and has honed her skills at the provincial grade first.

She has also become a regular on the North Queensland circuit in the back end of 2022, riding winners at Rockhampton, Mackay, Cairns and Townsville.

“I feel I have done it at the right, I have taken my time to get to that stage,” Castle said.

“I still need a bit more practice.

“I think going up north and hopefully getting more rides around Brisbane will certainly help me.

“It helps building my confidence up but I am in no rush with it all, trying to take my time.”

While Castle has become more of a regular on a Wednesday and Saturday in the city, her boss still is not hurrying the young hoop to make it a permanent move.

“I do not think she is out of place riding on a Saturday but we are not going to rush the situation,” he said.

“Hopefully we can pick and choose what we ride in town and gain that experience.

“I do not want Melea to take big books of rides in town and then make mistakes, I would prefer she just have a few and then also focus on the country meetings.

“Once she has mastered that, then she can go to town full-time.”

Castle thinks her NQ sojourns have aided her skills when she did eventually come to the metropolitan level.

Riding at different tracks, against new jockeys using tactics she had not seen before in an all new environment has helped her development, she believes.

“Rockhampton has quite a long straight so when I went into my first metro meeting at Eagle Farm, I was not stressed or shocked as I had ridden on a longer straight at Rocky previously,” Castle said.

“I was used to it from my time travelling away.

“It has been a good experience going away to the north to ride.”

Castle has a strong book of five engagements at Rockhampton on Friday afternoon.