Latest News Highlights:
- Jamie Melham won the Melbourne Cup on Half Yours, becoming the second female jockey to win the race
- Melham made history with the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double, becoming the first woman to achieve this feat.
- She dedicated her emotional victory to her grandfather, who died last week after watching her Caulfield Cup win.
- Melham and husband Ben made history as the first married couple to ride in the same Melbourne Cup
- Half Yours stormed home at Flemington to win the $10 million race that stops the nation on Tuesday.
Melham Creates Melbourne Cup History
Jamie Melham rode Half Yours to victory in the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, becoming only the second woman ever to win Australia’s most famous horse race. The 29-year-old jockey burst into tears after crossing the finish line at Flemington, struggling to understand what she’d just achieved. “What just happened? Oh my god,” she told Channel 9 through her tears.
Ten years after Michelle Payne became the first female jockey to win the race that stops the nation, close friend Melham made her own history. She became the first woman to complete the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double after winning the Caulfield Cup last month. Half Yours burst clear in a thrilling finish for father-son training team Tony and Calvin McEvoy. Goodie Two-Shoes from Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien came second, with Middle Earth, trained by Ciaron Maher, finishing third.
Emotional Homage to Grandfather
Melham paid special tribute to her grandfather, who died just last week, for whom the previous race he had watched was her Caulfield Cup victory. “I have to mention my grandpa. The last thing he watched was the Caulfield Cup; he was such a big supporter of mine,” Melham said, tears streaming down her face. “He was up there, opening those gaps for me, because I needed a few gaps opened then.“
The jockey thanked her parents for putting up with all her difficulties over the years. She also gave special mention to her husband, Ben Melham. “My mum and dad are here, they’ve put up with all my shit the last few years, and my beautiful husband,” she said. Melham and Ben did make history as the first married couple to ride in the same Melbourne Cup. Ben rode Smokin’ Romans and finished further back in the field.
Perfect Ride on Half Yours
Melham explained how she rode the race perfectly, waiting until the right moment to make her move. “I wanted to ride him as quietly as I could and at the 400 metres I had to let him go,” she said. At one point, she had to squeeze through a tight gap where her husband Ben was riding. “There was a tight gap and I said, ‘Move over, Ben, I’m coming through’,” Melham laughed.
She said how Half Yours then took charge and found another extremely tight gap on his own. “The next gap was extremely tight, and I had no say. My horse just took me through it. Then he had to produce the finish, and the team has just got him the fittest I’ve ever seen this horse.” The McEvoy training team had Half Yours in perfect condition for the big race.
Special Year for Champion Jockey
This win capped off an amazing year for Melham. “I’ve had an amazing year, got married, had some really great days on the track, but nothing compares to this feeling with how I’m feeling,” she said. The jockey explained why winning the Melbourne Cup means so much. “This is what we do it for, this is why we get out of bed every morning at 4 am. This is what we work our arses off for the last 15 years in the industry.”
She admitted the racing industry is not always easy. “It’s tough, it’s not all glorious and perfect as everyone can see sometimes.” Melham has overcome difficult challenges, including suspensions and serious head injuries from a life-threatening race fall in 2023. But she’s found happiness both on and off the track recently.
Half Yours was the only Australian-bred horse in this year’s Melbourne Cup field of 24 runners representing seven different nations. The son of bargain-priced breeding stallion St Jean became the 13th horse in history to complete the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double. French horse Presage Nocturne went into the race as $5.50 favourite but finished in a disappointing 19th place.
The victory was especially meaningful because trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy have supported Melham throughout her career. They gave her early jockey premiership wins in South Australia and provided her first Melbourne Cup Day winner back in 2017 with Dollar For Dollar. Last year, they supplied her first Group 1 winner in her hometown of Adelaide. Before the Caulfield Cup, Melham thanked Tony McEvoy for keeping her on Half Yours. He replied that she was always going to ride the horse.
FAQs
Q: Is Jamie Melham the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup?
A: No, Jamie Melham is the second female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup. Michelle Payne was the first in 2015, exactly 10 years before Melham’s victory.
Q: What makes Jamie Melham’s Melbourne Cup win historic?
A: Melham became the first woman ever to complete the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double. She also made history with husband Ben as the first married couple to ride in the same Melbourne Cup.
Q: Who did Jamie Melham dedicate her Melbourne Cup win to?
A: Melham gave an emotional tribute to her grandfather, who died last week. The last race he saw her win was her victory in the Caulfield Cup, and she said that he was opening gaps for her from above.
Q: Which horse did Jamie Melham ride to win the Melbourne Cup?
A: She rode Half Yours, trained by father-son combination Tony and Calvin McEvoy. Half Yours was the only Australian-bred horse in the 24-runner field.
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