Did you watch the Melbourne cup? What a way to recognise female
jockeys. What a great boost for people with Down syndrome. What a race.
This Melbourne cup no.155 will be fondly remembered for all the
right reasons.
Betting
odds of over 100 to 1 with Michelle Payne, the jockey whom has raced Prince of
Penzance 23 of 24 starts and her brother Steven Payne the strapper.
Made even more memorable by Steven being challenged with Down Syndrome, and Michelle being the first female jockey to win the CUP certainly made this a fairy tale event.
Michelle’s winning speech certainly made it crystal clear of the issues faced by female jockeys, even from some of the horses owners.
Quote from The Guardian:
Made even more memorable by Steven being challenged with Down Syndrome, and Michelle being the first female jockey to win the CUP certainly made this a fairy tale event.
Michelle’s winning speech certainly made it crystal clear of the issues faced by female jockeys, even from some of the horses owners.
Quote from The Guardian:
“My sister Margaret and I both had a feeling we would win this
race. It’s such a chauvinistic sport, a lot of the owners wanted to kick me
off. Everyone else can get stuffed [who] think women aren't good enough".
It was certainly a reward to the owner in particular that did
encourage Michelle to be the jockey and the trainer that she did race this
horse.
Sport in General won the great race today regardless of your
gender or physical and mental abilities.
10 Quickie facts of Michelle Payne
(courtesy of the Herald Sun)
·
Michelle was born in September 1985 and grew up
on a property near Ballarat in central Victoria.
·
Her mum Mary died in a car crash when she was
just six months old. Michelle has said in the past that her dad Paddy would
talk to her daily about how much he loved Mary.
·
Michelle is the youngest of 10 kids. She has
racing blood running through her veins and is the eighth Payne child to become
a jockey - five of her older sisters and two brothers have also spent time as
jockeys. Brother Patrick is now a well known trainer in Victoria.
·
Michelle rode her first race on Reigning, a
horse trained by her dad, when she was just 15. And she won.
·
In March 2004, Payne had a horrific fall while
racing at Sandown. Thrown headfirst onto the track she suffered a fractured
skull and bruising on the brain. Her family begged her to retire from the
profession but she resisted.
·
Payne’s first Group 1 win came in 2009. Riding
Allez Wonder for the late Bart Cummings, she was victorious in the Toorak
Handicap.
·
The next month Cummings offered Payne a ride in
the Caulfield Cup where she became only the third female jockey to do so.
·
Michelle has said she believes her mum rides on
her shoulder with her and has protected her in a number of big falls she’s had
since Sandown.
·
Before the Melbourne Cup she had amassed
prizemoney of more than $20 million on the horses she had ridden.
·
Michelle Payne became the first woman ever to
win the Melbourne Cup when she rode Prince of Penzance - with odds of more than
$100-1.
