A Ride into History—Michelle Payne Wins Melbourne Cup
November 3, 2015
Michelle Payne is a 30-year-old Australian who may have just elevated herself into her country’s sports story of the year. On Tuesday, Payne became the first woman to ride a horse to victory in the Melbourne Cup, one of Australia’s most celebrated annual sporting events.
Michelle Payne became the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup as she rode Prince of Penzance to victory in Australia’s richest and most prestigious race. Credit: © Hamish Blair, Reuters/Landov
Payne’s stunning victory came on a 100-1 shot named Prince of Penzance. But the horse wasn’t any more of a long shot than the female jockey who rode him. The race has been held continuously since 1861 without a woman jockey taking the Cup.
Payne did not have an easy path to the Cup race. Her mother died in an automobile accident when Payne was 16, leaving 10 children. Still, horseracing was in the blood of her family. Several Paynes are active in Australian racing, including her brother Steven, who has Down syndrome and serves as her strapper. A strapper is responsible for taking care of a horse, including feeding and grooming the animal and cleaning out its stall.
Payne did not stint on her criticism of the racing culture that she said has held women back all these years. A short time after her victory, Payne stated “It’s a very male-dominated sport and people think we’re not strong enough and all the rest of it blah, blah, blah. But you know what? It’s not all about strength. It’s so much more involved—getting a horse into a rhythm, getting the horse to try for you and being patient.”
Payne asked for women to be given more opportunities. “We sort of don’t get enough of a go.” In a more succinct statement, Payne offered just two words to those who doubt the ability of women to compete alongside men—“Get stuffed.” It was no accident that her racing colors were green, white, and purple, the colors of the suffragettes who campaigned for gender equality in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
