| BIOGRAPHY |
Lois Meals spent her childhood in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, so it would make sense that she would start her career at nearby Waterford Park. If looks like not only did her career start there, but it also ended there. Digging a little deeper, that was not the case.
Lois, in fact was a member of the class of 1969, she had one start at Charles Town Race Track that year, that didn't seem to get added to her official stats. In 1970 she definitely would ride at Waterford, accepting her first mount aboard Blank Pistol on July 15. A few weeks later she got her first win with Balladoonia on August 7nth.
In 1971 she moved her tack to Green Mountain Park in Vermont, she rode there for two years, where she rode forty of her one hundred lifetime wins. She would ride a little in Florida, but would return to Waterford Park in the early eighties. She would end her riding career at the Chester, West Virginia Oval and on January 28 ,1991 which was now called Mountaineer Park.
If you saw Lois ride, at times you might think you were seeing double, that's cause you were, she has a twin sister, Linda Richmond and from time to time they rode at the same track. I personally came within inches of Lois one night at Green Mountain Park. I was on the track apron and I saw a jockey walking towards me, I had no idea who it was, then I saw it was a girl, I whipped out my program and by process of elimination noted the only female in the race, Lois Meals. What I didn't realize at the time, were the accommodations, or lack of for female jockeys. The boys had their clubhouse behind the toteboard, but the ladies had to walk back into the grandstand and go wherever. I just remember feeling sorry for her having to make that walk.
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| Green Mountain Winner Cold War | ||
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| Green Mountain Park August 5, 1971 |