Melbourne Cup 2015: Michelle Payne scores historic win on $101 outsider Prince Of Penzance

MICHELLE Payne had a feeling she would win the Melbourne Cup on Prince Of Penzance but when she told trainer Darren Weir, he just laughed.

Prince of Penzance (centre), ridden by Michelle Payne, comes home to win The Melbourne Cup with 100m to go during Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. (AAP Image/David Crosling) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

MICHELLE Payne had a feeling she would win the Melbourne Cup on Prince Of Penzance but when she told trainer Darren Weir, he just laughed.

“Darren said he would be happy with a top 10 finish so that took the pressure off a bit,’’ Payne said. “But I have had so much faith in this horse, I’ve always said he was the best horse I’ve ridden and I truly believed he could win this race.’’

THE CUP: WHERE YOUR HORSE FINISHED

Weir was delighted to be proven wrong as Payne became the first female rider to win the Melbourne Cup on $101 outsider Prince Of Penzance — and she wasn’t about to let this moment in racing history go by without making a very profound statement.

“For those people out there who say women are not strong enough to be a jockey, they can get stuffed,’’ she said.

Before a bumper Cup Day crowd of 101,105, Payne produced a brilliant ride on Prince Of Penzance to score a famous Melbourne Cup win by a half length from Max Dynamite ($13) with Criterion ($19) three-quarters of a length away third, just in front of Trip To Paris. The race, as always, was full of highlights and drama, including:

# Prince Of Penzance became the fourth $101 winner of the Melbourne Cup after The Pearl (1871), Wotan (1936) and Old Rowley (1940).

# Frankie Dettori had to settle for second again on Max Dynamite then copped a month suspension and $10,000 fine for causing severe interference in the straight.

# Prince Of Penzance ensured all three spring carnival majors stayed in Australasia after Mongolian Khan’s Caulfield Cup and Winx’s Cox Plate win.

Michelle Payne, right, celebrates with her brother and Prince Of Penzance’s strapper Steven after the Cup.

# The winning time of 3m 23.15s was one of the slowest in the modern era given the good track conditions.

# Favourite Fame Game ($5) was always well back in the field, never really got into the race and was a well beaten 13th.

# English stayer Snow Sky was last over the line as three-time Melbourne Cup runner-up Red Cadeaux pulled up with injury and failed to finish the race.

Big Orange, another of the internationals, set a very slow race tempo early as Payne held the rail in the front half of the field on Prince Of Penzance.

Congratulations on making history @mj_payne. pic.twitter.com/a8sClT1xO5

— Australian Diamonds (@AussieDiamonds) November 3, 2015

Payne said she had early concerns with “the Prince” missed the start then Hong Kong superstar Joao Moreira, rider of The United States, tried to muscle into her position on the rail.

“I was a bit disappointed when we missed the start because he was so quite in the barrier, he just about fell asleep,’’ Payne said. “The last thing I wanted to do was give him a bit of a squeeze as he can get over-racing but I had to hold my spot.

“Joao Moreira tried to come across and I was not going to give up my position.

“I know Joao wasn’t happy because he had to come back and across heels.’’

Payne said she concentrated on keeping Prince Of Penzance in a nice rhythm and breathing well through the middle stages of the race before she began to creep forward from about the 800m.

“I got onto the back of Trip To Paris and I was travelling that well I could not believe my luck,’’ she said. “I didn’t want to be unlucky I went to the outside of Trip To Paris and perhaps I got out a bit soon into clear running.

“But then I waited for as along as I could before I let him go and I have never yelled so loud in my life. I can not believe I have won the Melbourne Cup.’’

Ok now having serious crush on @mj_payne - you are an amazing woman.

— Liz Ellis (@LizzyLegsEllis) November 3, 2015

Weir, Melbourne’s reigning premier trainer, was also coming to grips with his Melbourne Cup triumph.

“It hasn’t really sunk in, to be honest,’ Weir said. “It was an amazing feeling at the 100m mark when it looked like he was going to win.

“This horse cost $50,000 as a yearling and he has won the Melbourne Cup. It just goes to show you don’t need all the money in the world to have success but you do need a lot of luck.”

A few years ago Australia's female athlete of the year was a horse - maybe this year it will be the jockey. Congrats Michelle Payne #MelbCup

— Katherine Bates (@KatherineLBates) November 3, 2015