Jamie Melham’s scary near miss as her husband rides to group 1 glory

Racing’s dark cloud gave way to daring and drama under the clear skies of Flemington on Saturday as big-occasion jockey Ben Melham captured group 1 glory on a James Cummings-trained horse just seconds after his wife almost fell.

The nerve-wracking finish to the All-Star Mile came after a sombre fortnight in which Flemington lost trainer Mike Moroney, 66, to cancer and the famous Payne siblings lost their 51-year-old sister Bernadette.

Ben Melham pilots Tom Kitten to glory ahead of Craig Williams on Mr Brightside. Also pictured is Jamie Melham on Another WilCredit: Getty Images

It was also a fortnight in which the Cummings name had taken a hit. James’ father, Anthony, was forced to walk away from Leilani Lodge during the week, his financial troubles shutting the doors on the Randwick stables that had been in their family for 50 years.

But racing has a habit of creating distracting moments to help us momentarily forget.

The married Melhams – Ben and Jamie – and jockey Craig Williams were at the heart of that palpitating moment on Saturday.

As Ben swept four-wide down the Flemington straight to spark a driving finish with Williams on Mr Brightside, Jamie was caught in the wash.

She had a lap-full of horse and as she searched for a gap 200 metres from home on Another Wil, they clipped heels with the horse in front, blundered and almost fell.

For a heart-in-mouth second in time, a dark history came terrifyingly close to repeating itself.

Ben Melham claimed the $2.5 million All-Star Mile in style.Credit: Getty Images

It was on this track and this day two years ago, Jamie Kah (now Melham) came crashing to the turf in the Sire’s Produce and suffered serious head injuries that would keep her sidelined for months.

But this time around her horse was able to keep its feet. If the near miss unsettled her nerve, it did not show.

“In my opinion, he wins if he doesn’t draw barrier one,” she said of her precarious position after the race.

The stewards took a sterner view of Jamie’s ride. They reprimanded her for her actions and told her to “exercise more care” in future.

Her husband was oblivious to his wife’s near miss. Tom Kitten had edged out Mr Brightside by a nose and Ben had captured his 22nd group 1 victory.

He praised Tom Kitten for putting “another big one on the mantelpiece”.

“I was confident he could come here and beat [Mr] Brightside today, but he just has a few antics on the barriers and stepped a bit ordinary, but it worked out really well for us,” Ben said after the race.

Williams also came in for attention from the stewards, who questioned if he had shown enough urgency to set up a winning break on Mr Brightside as the field had turned for home.

They were satisfied with his explanation.

“He explained that in the early stages he was satisfied with the position he was able to settle, with Another Wil, one of his main dangers, positioned to his inside,” the stewards said.

“Williams added that when he became aware that Tom Kitten, which he considered the other main danger, had commenced to improve to his outside, he placed Mr Brightside under pressure passing the 300m, where he felt the gelding had every opportunity to win.”

James Cummings, who trains for Godolphin, was not at Flemington to soak up the glory. He had stayed in Sydney to watch Broadsiding finish a narrow second in the group 1 Randwick Guineas.

It was a pity because he had long-maintained the faith in Tom Kitten, a gelding that stable foreman Nacim Dilmi described as having had “many unlucky races”. On Saturday, the luck finally turned.

“Now it is onwards to the Australian Cup,” Dilmi said.

Eighty minutes later, the group 1 Newmarket Handicap was run at Flemington and won by favourite Joliestar, a Chris Waller-trained mare ridden by Damian Lane.

The decorated jockey revealed he had never been so confident of putting away a group 1 – if only he could find a gap.

“It felt like I needed an inch of room, and she was going to put them away. She just travelled so easily the whole race,” Lane said.

“I just had to bide my time, and we got out at the perfect time in the end.”

They finished 1.3 lengths ahead of Headwall, with Stretan Angel another 1.5 lengths back in third.

But the sombre moments are never far away. Lane was presented with the Dean Holland Trophy after winning the Newmarket, a cup named in honour of the jockey who died in a 2023 race fall.

“I don’t think there was a member of our industry who wasn’t touched in some way by Dean,” Lane said.

“He was such a character – much loved in the jockeys’ room. It is sad but rewarding [to win his trophy] at the same time.”

Flemington will hold a memorial for Moroney on Tuesday.

‘We expect him to get the job done’: Tip for the best horse at Flemington

Mr Brightside helped resurrect a famous racing dynasty when he burst onto the scene in 2021 and on Saturday at Flemington he might well save the All-Star Mile.

The durable veteran is aiming to win his 10th group 1 in the 1600m weight-for-age event for Lindsay Park’s three Hayes brothers – Ben, Will and JD – and his presence gives the contentious $2.5 million race much-needed credibility.

Mr Brightside beats Tom Kitten, centre, and I Wish I Win in the Futurity Stakes for his ninth group 1 win.Credit: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

Without him, the All-Star Mile would be seen as the Rising Star Mile, considering front-running mare Pride Of Jenni is on the comeback trail and star Sydney trio Via Sistina, Fangirl and Ceolwulf are staying north of the border.

Mr Brightside is a standout name in a compact field of seven – the smallest number of starters in the race’s seven-year history, despite it being elevated to group 1 status for the first time this year.

But don’t be fooled by a lack of numbers. Two of the state’s biggest trainers, Ben Hayes and Ciaron Maher, say quality trumps quantity.

“I wouldn’t say it is easy,” Hayes said of Mr Brightside’s task in this year’s All-Star Mile.

“Another Wil beat him first-up, and we’ve got Tom Kitten who got very close to him last start. We have also got (Chris) Waller’s horse, Atishu, which has got a great record at Flemington and is a group 1 winner.

“It’s a small but very competitive field, and you could put a case forward for plenty of them to win, which is good for racing.”

Mr Brightside is lining up in his fourth All-Star Mile, a pop-up contest created by Racing Victoria in 2017. Since then, it has undergone several iterations, including a $1.5 million drop in prizemoney.

The Hayes-trained seven-year-old gelding finished fourth of 15 behind Zaaki in 2022, first of 15 in 2023 and second of 12 behind Pride Of Jenni last year.

Another Wil, left, edged out Mr Brightside in last month’s group 1 Orr Stakes at Caulfield.Credit: Getty Images

In that same time, Mr Brightside has seen off rivalries with Alligator Blood, I’m Thunderstruck and Pride Of Jenni. In many ways, he has been the banner horse of the race.

Adding to intrigue is that Hayes believes this year’s edition is equal to any they have contested in the past, especially now it is void of “roadblocks” – lowly rated horses that were voted into the field by the public under the previous conditions of the race.

“Look at the top races around the world – a lot of the top races are small but compressed fields,” Hayes said.

“This race, we have got some of the best horses in the country in it, and there’s no horse really that should not be in the race. I think it is better.”

Maher, who trains second favourite Another Wil and group 1-winning stablemate Light Infantry Man, agrees.

“I think they have done a good job not filling it up with horses that are not good enough,” he said.

“There’s nothing worse than having good horses in a race that you’ve got a heap of other horses that might get in their way. You are better off having a smaller, select field.”

Maher believes this All-Star Mile would have been elevated to an even greater level if last year’s winner Pride Of Jenni had recovered in time to take her place in the field, having been sent for an extended spell after suffering a bleeding attack during last year’s spring carnival.

Leading Australian trainer Ciaron Maher.Credit: Getty Images

“If she’s in there, it’s a pretty mouth-watering race,” he said.

Despite her absence, Maher is still confident he can win his second successive All-Star Mile with either last-start group 1 winner Another Wil or the Flemington-loving Light Infantry Man.

“I am rapt with both horses,” he said.

Maher might be confident, but to claim the title he will have to go through Mr Brightside – the most successful group 1 winner in Lindsay Park’s history.

“He’s been racing at the top level for nearly three seasons and that’s what makes him a champion,” Hayes said.

“He’s more than capable of winning this group 1 on Saturday. He’s favourite for a reason, and he’s got a great third-up record.

“We expect him to get the job done, and he’s never let us down.”

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