MICHELLE Payne guided the New Zealand-bred Prince of Penzance to victory in Tuesday’s 2015 Melbourne Cup. Her stunning ride at a sunny Flemington Racecourse upset a host of more-fancied contenders. She made history as the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup in the race’s storied 155-year history.
Prince of Penzance (100-1) started as a rank outsider yet made light of the long odds with a late move down the home straight, holding off the fast-finishing Max Dynamite by three-quarters of a length to secure victory. Criterion came in third.
Michelle Payne unsaddles the winner.
“It’s like a dream come true, this horse is awesome,” Payne said. “What he has been through, unbelievable training to get him here like this today. This is everybody’s dream as a jockey in Australia and now probably the world.
“My sister Margaret and I both had a feeling we would win this race. It’s such a chauvinistic sport, a lot of the owners wanted to kick me off. Everyone else can get stuffed [who] think women aren’t good enough.”
Of his history-making jockey, trainer Weir said, “I couldn’t thank her enough. What a beautiful ride and what a great family.”
A cloud was cast over the celebrations though, as Melbourne Cup veteran Red Cadeaux, the three-time runner-up, failed to finish the race and was taken from the track in an ambulance at the end of the race.
Japanese raider Fame Game started the race as favourite, ahead of Trip to Paris, who finished fourth, and Preferment. The fancied Almoonqith, known as a former Mike de Kock-trained runner in Dubai, appeared not to see out the testing 3200m, finishing among the backmarkers.
-extracts and photo from The Guardian.
