Melbourne Cup 2020: Michelle Payne hoping history can repeat for Jamie Kah on Prince Of Arran
For Michelle and Stevie Payne, it was a case of history repeating when Jamie Kah’s horse Prince Of Arran drew barrier one in the Melbourne Cup, and she will be cheering for the English raider.
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Michelle Payne watched the Melbourne Cup barrier draw with her best mate – brother Stevie – and neither could believe the “eerie” twist of fate.
Five years earlier, Stevie famously drew barrier one for Payne’s Prince and now Jamie Kah’s Prince had drawn the same gate.
On reflection, Michelle Payne thinks she only could have only become the first female jockey to win the Cup if she had either barrier one or two for Prince Of Penzance in 2015.
She is sure the barrier probably mattered less to Kah, who is trying to walk in Payne’s footsteps when she rides popular UK raider Prince Of Arran on Tuesday.
But there were certainly some interesting scenes in the Payne household when Michelle and Stevie, and family patriarch Paddy, watched the Melbourne Cup barrier draw on TV on Saturday night.
“We were sitting here together and we all looked at each other and shook our heads – it was really eerie,” Michelle Payne told Racenet.
“Jamie getting the same barrier as I did was amazing and then there is the names of the horses as well, both ‘Princes’.
“Stevie didn’t draw this barrier but he absolutely loved watching it.”
Payne and Kah are great mates and have already forged a special bond, holidaying together in America last year with fellow female hoop, the now retired Nikita Beriman.
Payne has no doubt history can repeat and Kah can win the Melbourne Cup and inspire another generation of up-and-coming female riders.
“Prince Of Arran looks a lovely sweet ride so barrier one is maybe not as beneficial for her as it was for me with Prince Of Penzance,” Payne said.
“Barrier one really helped me because Prince Of Penzance was such a keen-going horse I didn’t want to have to dig him up and put him into a position or even jostle for one.
“Jamie has now got so many options as to where she wants to place her horse in the run.
“You still need a lot of luck from barrier one but you would prefer to be drawn there than the outside.
“I’d say her horse is pretty straightforward and probably could have drawn anywhere between one to 10 and been quite comfortable with the draw.
“But if you have drawn barrier one, you certainly take it.”
Prince Of Arran, who has run placings in the last two Melbourne Cups, has been a firmer in betting and is now rated a $10 chance to give Kah a dream Melbourne Cup.
Trainer Charlie Fellowes has been happy with his stayer since he warmed up for a Melbourne Cup tilt by running on into fourth in the Caulfield Cup.
As Prince Of Arran aims to make it third time lucky in the Cup, Fellowes is happy to be starting from the inside.
“We can ride a race from there and get plenty of cover,” Fellowes said. “It is better than being caught out wide and it should be relatively straightforward.”
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Originally published as Melbourne Cup 2020: Michelle Payne hoping history can repeat for Jamie Kah on Prince Of Arran