Behind the scenes at the Melbourne Cup with trainer Annabel Neasham

Her phone may not stop ringing from 4am till she falls into bed, but her big focus is on keeping things calm for Numerian, her contender in Tuesday’s big race.

Annabel Neasham: “Horses are creatures of habit; they’re happiest when there are no surprises.” Simon Schluter

Dan F StapletonWriter

Oct 27, 2022 – 5.00am

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In the six years since she arrived in Australia from her native England, horse trainer Annabel Neasham has apprenticed for Gai Waterhouse and Ciaron Maher, established a 90-horse stable in western Sydney and clinched five major races. The 31-year-old has already proven her ambition by riding the 1000-kilometre Mongol Derby in 2018 (she won) and giving up her swanky digs in Double Bay so she could spend more time at her stable.

Now, Neasham is tackling the Melbourne Cup. Here, she counts down to the big race on Tuesday.