By Tom Decent
- As it happened: Melbourne Cup live blog
- Melbourne Cup 2015: finishing order
- Prince of Penzance wins the Cup
- Red Cadeaux retired after breaking down
Michelle Payne, the first woman jockey to win the Melbourne Cup, has hit back at her doubters after riding Prince of Penzance to victory at Flemington.
Payne was ecstatic after the race and could hardly contain her excitement after riding the 100-1 outsider to victory at Flemington.
Payne said it was a dream come true and was proud to prove people wrong in a sport she described as "chauvinistic sport" while also telling the doubters to "get stuffed".
"To think that Darren Weir has given me a go and it's such a chauvinistic sport, I know some of the owners were keen to kick me off, and John Richards and Darren stuck strongly with me, and I put in all the effort I could and galloped him all I could because I thought he had what it takes to win the Melbourne Cup and I can't say how grateful I am to them," Payne told Channel Seven after the race. "I want to say to everyone else, get stuffed, because women can do anything and we can beat the world.
Michelle Payne described horse racing as a "chauvinistic" sport.Credit: Joe Armao
"This is everybody's dream as a jockey in Australia and now probably the world. And I dreamt about it from when I was five years old and there is an interview from my school friends, they were teasing me about, when I was about seven, and I said, "I'm going to win the Melbourne Cup" and they always give me a bit of grief about it and I can't believe we've done it.
"I was lying in bed last night and I thought about what it would be like if I was talking to you after this race.
"When I wanted this horse as a three-year-old, he won here and I thought this is a Melbourne Cup horse and he just felt like he would run the two mile out that strong but far out, I didn't think he'd be that strong. He was still towing me into the straight. He just burst to the front and he was powering through, it's just unbelievable."
Payne was full of praise for the team around her and said she was surprised by how good a run she got.
"It's just unreal that we're here today you know," Payne said. "Coming down the straight the first time he became a bit steady I had to give him a bit of a dig which I didn't want to do, but I had to hold up my spot where I wanted to be.
"We travelled quite strong the whole way, he didn't get to rest, but he was still in a rhythm and from the 100 everything opened up. I got onto the back of Trip To Paris, she took me into the race; I was actually clipping his heels I was going that good. Then he got into the straight and he burst clear, it was unreal."