Melbourne Cup: Jamie Melham claims second historic win for female jockey

Jamie Melham became the second female jockey to win the Lexus Melbourne Cup, guiding Half Yours across the line first at Flemington Racecourse. The Australian emulated Michelle Payne, who triumphed on 100-1 chance Prince Of Penzance in 2015, but also went a step further by becoming the first woman to pull off the 'Cups Double' of the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup.

Following the victory, Melham told Australia’s Nine Network: “What just happened? Oh my God! This is what we do it for. This is why we get up out of bed every morning at 4am for the last 15 years I've been in this industry.

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“I’ve had an amazing year. Got married, had some really great days on the track, but nothing ever, ever compares to this feeling right now I’m feeling.”

Half Yours – the only Australian-bred horse in the 24-strong field – was among the favourites to take advantage of the soft track after sporadic rain.

The horse was in a tussle for first place with JP McManus-owned Goodie Two Shoes coming into the final stretch of the 3,200m race, but Melham kicked at the perfect time to cross the finish line with a two and a half leng length advantage on the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained challenger.

Melham said: "I wanted to ride him as quiet as I could but at the two-furlong pole I couldn't go any quieter. I had to let him go. This horse was so fit and strong, he went through a tight gap and then an extremely tight gap but I had no say – he just took me through it.

"You grow up thinking you want to ride in the Melbourne Cup but you never actually think you might win it. You don't think it will happen . . . but it's just happened.

"I cannot describe this feeling. I've dreamt about it, hoped for it, but nothing compares with this insane feeling.

"Tony and Calvin have been incredible supporters of mine and have been there for me since I was a 15-year-old kid. They have done an amazing job and deserve this so much."

Melham was greeted afterwards by Payne who said: "Welcome to the club. The times are changing and it's just unbelievable. Well done, what a moment."

She used her post-race interview to pay tribute to her grandfather, who died last week. “I have to mention my grandpa,” Melham told Nine.

“He died last week. The last thing he watched was the Caulfield Cup, and 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 then.”

The Joseph O'Brien-trained Goodie Two Shoes, ridden by Wayne Lordan, finished best of the British and Irish challengers, Al Riffa was seventh, Absurde eighth, Meydaan tenth, Furthur 11th, and Onemsmoothoperator 16th held on for second, with Middle Earth coming third and River of Stars finishing fourth.

Al Riffa had been the subject of a £250,000 win wager at odds of 7-1on the eve of the race. His jockey Mark Zahra said afterwards: "It was okay. I was four-wide and had to find a spot to get in and there was too much to do with that weight."

Lordan said: "She ran a wonderful race, got a nice position from my draw and she's run a cracker, just one better today but ran great."

Half Yours was examined by vets afterwards and found to have a minor laceration to the inside of his left cheek, for which no veterinary treatment was required. Buckaroo pulled up with exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage, but was able to return to the stables.

Melham beat her husband Ben to winning the world famous race. Ben finished 14th on Smokin Romans but shared a moment with his wife after the race.