MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Jamie Melham rode Half Yours to victory in the 165th Melbourne Cup on Tuesday to become the first female jockey to win a historic Australian racing double.
A decade after Michelle Payne became the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup, Melham became the first to complete the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup winning double.
Melham's late grandfather was among the people she dedicated her victory to, saying the last race he watched was her win in last month's Caulfield Cup.
“I have to mention my grandpa. He died last week," Melham said in a post-race interview with the Nine Network. "He was such a big supporter of mine. So he’s up there opening those gaps for me, because I needed a few gaps open.”
Half Yours, a five-year-old gelding, finished strongly to win by 2 3/4 lengths from Irish mare Goodie Two Shoes in overcast conditions on a soft track at Flemington. Middle Earth placed third in the event referred to widely by Australians as the race that stops the nation.
Trained by the father-and-son duo Tony and Calvin McEvoy, Half Yours was the only Australian-bred starter in the 24-horse field.
Melham had to steer Half Yours through a series of gaps in the straight, including one past her husband Ben Melham, who placed 12th on Smokin' Romans.
“There was a tight gap and I said, ‘Move over Ben, I’m coming through.' The next gap was extremely tight and I had no say — my horse just took me through it," Jamie Melham said. “Then he had to produce the finish.”
Payne, who rode long shot Prince Of Penzance to victory in the 2015 Melbourne Cup, embraced Melham after Tuesday's race.
“I’ve got tears in my eyes,” Payne told the Nine network. "It’s just the most incredible feeling and for Jamie, who deserves it, it just couldn’t be better.”
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