The story behind how Michelle Payne just became the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup

MICHELLE Payne’s win was remarkable. So was her reaction to it. But the rest of her life has been just as extraordinary.

What you don’t know about Payne

A FEMALE jockey has at last won the Melbourne Cup. Two female trainers have led in the winner and plenty of mares have won. But Michelle Payne, a 30-year-old from a famous racing family, has at last become the first woman to sit atop the winner as it flashed past the Flemington winning post.

For the record, the victorious horse was the 100-1 shot Prince of Penzance, whose form was nowhere near as bad as all that. But this race will be remembered for a person rather than a horse, and that person is of course Michelle Payne.

Payne wore silks which were purple, green and white. In a remarkable coincidence, these are the colours which were worn by the Suffragettes in England, a historical movement which actively campaigned for the right of women to vote.

Payne made it clear immediately after the race that she herself has suffered no lack of discrimination on account of her gender.

“It is such a chauvinistic sport,” she said. “Some of the owners wanted to kick me off the horse, but I thought he had what it takes to run a race in the Melbourne Cup.”

She then reserved a classic Aussie insult for those who thought she might have performed her job more effectively if she had a deep voice and a bulge in her pants. “Get stuffed”.

But it would be entirely wrong to portray Payne as an angry radical feminist looking to destroy the joint. She is not that. This is one impressive, humble, down-to-earth woman; one whose goal is clearly to inspire rather than insult.

Payne wants other women to succeed. She wants them to have the chance she had today, but nearly didn’t on account of a couple of reluctant owners.

“Racing is a very male dominated sport,” she said at the victory presentation, clearly alluding to the fact that many owners believe male jockeys are stronger.

“But you know what? It’s not all about strength. It’s about getting a horse into a rhythm for you. It’s being patient.”

No joints were destroyed in taking this image.

Jockeys always talk about the advantage of having soft hands. It’s racing speak for not jerking too much at the reins. Payne, like all the best jockeys, is renowned for her soft hands. She also has that other prized asset of the best riders: patience.

In the Melbourne Cup, you can’t press the ‘go button’ too early. Do that and half the field will run you down. If you’re lucky enough to have a horse travelling well on the home turn, you have to wait. You need patience.

Payne explained that when Prince of Penzance burst to the front not even halfway down the Flemington straight, she couldn’t believe it.

“I thought ‘this is amazing’. I thought ‘I seriously can’t believe it’. I couldn’t work out why I was so calm.”

Calmness. That’s another vital asset in the best jockeys, and a close cousin of patience. But Payne’s patience was tested to the limit when Prince of Penzance took a gap inside (eventual fourth placegetter) Trip to Paris and hit the front earlier than planned.

“[Trainer] Darren Weir drilled it into me to count to ten,” Payne explained. She probably counted those numbers quicker than she ever had in her life, before she really hit the accelerator on Prince of Penzance and asked for a final effort. Hey, no one’s perfect.

“I never yelled so loud at a horse in my life,” Payne said.

In the end, her timing was good enough. So was her voice. Prince of Penzance had half a length to spare from runner-up Max Dynamite. Interestingly, he was ridden by the world’s most famous jockey Frankie Dettori, who once rode the winner of every race on a major raceday at Royal Ascot.

Unlike Michelle Payne, he’s never ridden a Melbourne Cup winner.

Payne is the youngest of 10 children who grew up on a farm near Ballarat. Her Dad was country trainer and former top jockey Paddy. Her mother Mary died in a motor vehicle accident when she was a baby.

Michelle was the fourth girl among her sisters to take up the saddle. In 2004, a horrible fall in Melbourne caused her to fracture her skull. She also suffered bruising on her brain and her career appeared in jeopardy. But she made it back, and in 2009, won her first Group One race at racing’s highest level.

Some owners still weren’t convinced. Female jockeys seemingly have to work twice as hard to earn respect. They are even listed in form guides with the somewhat patronising term “Ms” in brackets beside their name. Suffice to say that male jockeys don’t have “Mr”.

One man who has long believed in Payne was Ballarat trainer Darren Weir. Through Weir, Payne formed a strong association with Prince of Penzance, winning the Moonee Valley Cup on him last year in a daring ride.

As racing writer Tony Thomas explains in this excellent profile, Michelle would drive for hours around country Victoria to follow Prince Of Penzance, be with the horse, manage his recuperation, ride him in gallops, and put in place a dream.

That dream became a beautiful reality at about 3:05 this afternoon.

Originally published as The story behind how Michelle Payne just became the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup