8 minute read
Chasing Amy
from 2024 MMWA Magazine
by Jesssica Owers
One of Perth racing’s most prolific participants is also one of its most stylish, and Amy Evans tells Jessica Owers that she is using her platform to raise the stakes of disability awareness, both in racing and in fashion.
In homemade couture, with dramatic silhouettes and timeless grace, 26-year-old Amy Catherine Evans is in her wheelchair on the runway Her skirt is dramatic, her millinery offset, and every small detail is accounted for nails, earrings and punchred lipstick Like every other participant in the Fashions On The Field competition, she is there to win But with a difference
Evans, that she knows of, is the only physically disabled woman competing in Fashions On The Field, and while initially it was for kicks, now it’s a megaphone for disabled awareness
“I started entering for fun, and then it turned into a form of disability advocacy,” she says “Last year was my second year competing in the Melbourne Cup Carnival Fashions On The Field, and everyone was so supportive of me entering My mission is to use it as a platform to help break down disability stereotypes in the fashion industry ”
Evans has become synonymous with her raceday fashion Many of her outfits, and all of her Fashions On The Field wardrobe, are carefully mapped and hand-sewn by her mother, Catherine, and this is because high-street fashion won’t fit Evans, who lives with the extremely rare condition Nemaline Myopathy By her guess, only 35 Australians are diagnosed with it, and one of those is her twin sister, Rebecca
“We were diagnosed at 18 months old,” Evans says “Mum is an early childhood teacher and she noticed that we weren’t reaching typical physical milestones A lot of it was put down to being twins and not needing to move, but Mum felt something wasn’t right At three, we were officially diagnosed from a muscle biopsy ”
There is no cure for Nemaline Myopathy, and its coupled complications can be severe Evans has scoliosis, and everyday life can be challenging It’s always like that, but on occasions it all gets to her
“There’s no denying that I definitely have my down days behind closed doors, but I’m lucky to have a very supportive family and friends to help me through,” she says “There isn’t a cure for my disability, but then it has made me the person I am today When there’s nothing you can do about it, there’s no point on dwelling it You might as well make the most of life ”
As young as she is, Evans has lived a huge life She was a high-achieving school leaver from La Salle College in Perth, and at Curtin University she achieved a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in marketing and advertising three years ago, graduating top-six of her year She has since gone into business for herself, kickstarting the digital marketing company Little Black Dress Digital, or LBD Digital, before she even graduated from university It led to her handling the social accounts for some highprofile track stars
“In 2022, when (jockey) Jett Stanley was moving from Perth to Melbourne, he asked if I would take over his social media graphics,” Evans says “And then last year, Blake Shinn saw what I was doing for Jett and he asked if I could handle his graphics too
I was noticing that social media management for jockeys was really growing overseas, especially in the UK, but I was also identifying that gap in the marketing for not just the jockeys, but for the smaller stables that needed digital marketing support but couldn’t hire someone full time ”
The off-shoot of Evans’s digital savvy was that she earned a contract role with Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) as a social media coordinator She loved the work because it melded her career ambitions with her passion for horse racing
“It surprises a lot of people that I don’t actually come from a racing family,” she says “My earliest exposure to the sport was watching the Melbourne Cup on television at primary school ”
Racing has lured a lot of new fans this way, drawing them in with the pageantry of the annual Melbourne Cup But in 2014, when Evans was 16, she had her first real exposure to racing at Ascot Racecourse on Derby Day
“I’d told my parents that I wanted to buy into a racehorse, so they thought it might be a good idea to actually take me to the races first,” she says “My sister, who isn’t a racing fan, has a lucky number of six, so Dad decided we could have a small bet to celebrate the day We put $10 each-way on Race 6, horse number six, and I still remember the horse’s name to this day (Prentice) He didn’t look the best in the yard, which is how I pick them, but to our surprise he won at $61 ”
Prentice was a Simon Foster-trained gelding by Blackfriars, and the race he won that day was the WATC Sires’ Produce Stakes with Glenn Smith aboard Evans was hooked, and six months later she was involved with her first racehorse Today, nearly a decade later, she has small shares in 13 horses The majority are with Darren McAuliffe and Impressive Racing, including The Velvet Queen who is just shy of $620,000 in earnings via wins in the Ascot Mile last year and multiple stakes placings
“I have a post-it note on my laptop to help me keep track of them all,” she says “I also have two two-year-olds with Darren, who I’m really excited to see hit the track, as well as my first two Melbourne horses with Luke Oliver ”
In December, Evans relocated from her lifelong home in Perth to live in Melbourne She followed her sister east, anxious for life in the ‘big smoke’ The independence has been a gift to her, as reluctant as she was to leave everything she had built in Perth
“It surprises a lot of people that I don’t actually come from a racing family,” she says. “My earliest exposure to the sport was watching the Melbourne Cup on television at primary school.”
“Of course I’ll miss my parents, though they’ll visit regularly, and I’ll miss the warm weather,” she says “In terms of racing, I’ll definitely miss the people The general racing community is small, but it’s lovely in Perth how everyone knows everyone I made some amazing friends through ownership ”
Evans had become a regular fixture at Perth’s races; in the parade ring, around the enclosure and at the stalls She was a local and, in the most recent years, known as much for her clothes as her ownership, finding herself on the runways of competition
“I think I first realised I was developing a profile when people started recognising me at the races,” she says “But I think my profile really sunk in when I was the Cox Plate Charity Pin Ambassador with Moonee Valley and MakeA-Wish Foundation Being on Racing com was not just a dream for a racing fan, but the number of people who reached out to say they saw me on television was crazy ”
That was last year, and Evans had plenty of media trawling her to the point where she is now well-heeled on television, on radio and in the papers Like the fashion gig, she sees it all as an opportunity to promote disability awareness After all, the racecourse isn’t traditionally a destination for wheelchair users or the disabled, even if that might be changing
“As a whole, the attitude towards accessibility is amazing in racing,” she says “You can’t fault the people, but infrastructure is a barrier sometimes At Belmont, for example, despite being a Member I couldn’t access the Members’ floor because there wasn’t a lift But I’m a big believer in that those who know better do better, and I’ve definitely seen improvements over the years For the first time at the end of last year, the winner’s circle at Ascot was accessible I just didn’t have a winner so I didn’t get to see it ”
With a condition she is forced to take very seriously, Evans doesn’t take life too seriously When her horses win, there are tears, and when they lose, “that’s racing” It’s all part of the rollercoaster When opportunity knocks, she answers, and it doesn’t seem like she gets dirty on the world with its inhibitions and forgetfulness of disability
“My parents always encouraged me to do whatever I set my mind to, whether it was starting my own business or getting involved in horse racing,” she says “The racing community is a very accepting and inclusive one Everyone comes from all walks of life and when I’m at the races, and my wheelchair obviously makes me stand out a bit and is probably the reason my profile grew like it did, to be honest I just feel like Amy.”
