Our Melbourne Cup runneth over with love
Updated
Held under the dark clouds of drugs, corruption and drive-by shootings, this year's Melbourne Cup turned out to be even beyond the horses. A history-making winner and her family showed us racing's capacity to be inclusive, accepting and empowering, writes Michael Hutak.
Did the Australian turf just get the shot in the arm it so desperately needs? Racing showed its human face this afternoon, as Michelle Payne became the first woman to ride the winner of racing's godhead, when she saluted on Prince of Penzance with one of the great the Melbourne Cup rides. In a complete boilover, bookies got the lot as the 100-1 outsider from the bush overcame the world's best thoroughbreds to write the proverbial fairytale in this 155th running of the event.
But it wasn't the race that won the crowd's heart; it was what happened directly after, as Payne and Prince of Penzance were led back to scale by the horse's strapper, her brother "Stevie". The joyous display by Steven, who has Down's syndrome, leading his history-making sister back to scale, were indelible images of a racing game that despite all the problems it faces, has a capacity to be inclusive, accepting, and empowering.
Beyond the hype, the huge prize money, the dark clouds of drugs, corruption and drive-by shootings, this year's event turned out to be even beyond the horses. Instead it was about family, and the people who live their daily lives with these noble beasts. The Paynes are a large and esteemed racing family: Michelle and Stevie are the youngest of nine siblings who include successful jockeys Maree, Therese and Patrick, who is now a trainer. Michelle said horses responded to Stevie's caring attention: "Horses just relax around him."
The significance of her win against 23 male jockeys wasn't lost on Payne, who told the crowd and broadcast audience that racing is "a very male-dominated sport, and we hear that (female jockeys) are not strong enough or good enough. Well I hope from now that this will help female jockeys get more of a go":
It's such a chauvinistic sport. I know some of the owners were keen to kick me off, and (owner) John Richards and (trainer) Darren (Weir) stuck strongly with me.
I put in all the effort I could and galloped him all I could because I thought he had what it takes to win the Melbourne Cup.
I can't say how grateful I am to them. I want to say to everyone else, get stuffed, because women can do anything and we can beat the world.
Gai Waterhouse became the first woman to train the Cup in 2013 with Fiorente, and now Payne's effort demonstrates that racing can be gender-blind at the top, but it's in its everyday ranks that the culture must change.
Cutting cruelly against all the uplift, the courageous ten year-old Red Cadeux, running in his fifth attempt to win, failed to finish and was immediately rushed to the Werribee equine centre to treat a serious injury to his off fetlock. The horse's trainer Ed Dunlop was too distraught to comment after the race and we await news of the champion's fate.
Fifty years after the dearly departed Bart Cummings won his first Cup with Light Fingers, the 155th running of the Melbourne Cup saw one of the best fields in terms of thoroughbred class line-up with the breeding might of international powerhouses Coolmore and Godolphin among the 11 international runners.
Racing is often lauded as the great leveller, and on exposed form, Prince of Penzance would always start 100-1 against the likes of English charges Trip to Paris, second place getter Max Dynamite, or Australia's globetrotting star Criterion, who ran a great race for third. More than 80 international horses have flown into Melbourne straight into the Cup field since the trailblazing Irish horse Vintage Crop won in 1993. None of them have won the event, a hoodoo that still stands.
In a slowly run event, there seemed few hard luck stories as Payne simply rode the race of her career to salute for Ballarat trainer Darren Weir, a knockabout horseman from central casting who paid testimony to his staff : "You pinch yourself a bit, what an absolute thrill and credit to the team I have at home. We thought we were a real top 10 chance. But this is incredible."
Early in the day, the state of the Flemington track came in for harsh criticism with a strong bias towards runners near the rail. Yesterday Racing Victoria made the unprecedented call of announcing three track ratings: good on the fence then two slow lanes out wider.
Veteran race caller Greg Miles, who apologised for giving the worst call of his career in the Caulfield Cup, delivered one of his best in calling his 35th consecutive Cup, breaking legend Bill Collins's longstanding record. Miles, who began calling for the ABC in the 1980s, did his demanding profession proud.
Michael Hutak is a journalist and communications specialist.
Topics: horse-racing
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Comments (16)
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mac:
03 Nov 2015 6:24:42pm
A crowd of 1 000 000 at Flemington - glad I as not there.
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awake:
03 Nov 2015 6:38:01pm
Well done a great win, but it is a funny old business is racing. Don't really like it too many strange people with lots of money.
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Monty B:
03 Nov 2015 7:16:01pm
Agree, although you had to enjoy imagining their reaction to her strongly feminist victory speech.
Having said that she did tend to go on a bit, a trait not normally associated with previous male winners.
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Rhonda:
03 Nov 2015 8:54:46pm
"..she did tend to go on a bit" - fair go, I think the first female winner of Australia's most iconic horse race, earned that, after 154 years...
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Son of Zaky:
03 Nov 2015 6:41:29pm
"Did the Australian turf just get the shot in the arm it so desperately needs?"
And did the author actually pause at any point to consider whether, in light of the "...dark clouds of drugs..." reference he's used (proof-positive for climate change I would have thought - I don't remember anything said to date about the Little Ice Age that suggested it rained smack), that there was a cheap giggle to be had right there in the first sentence?
I'd really like to know, because it's normal that I find the ridiculous, barmy stuff worthy of mocking well into an article - and this seems to suggest it's a day of more than one "firsts".
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stephen jones:
03 Nov 2015 6:46:29pm
It's good to see girls hanging on and winning races ; too many were coming off under the following hooves.
A hundred to one shot is a magnificent win, and I hope she hangs on for next year.
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Regionalgranny:
03 Nov 2015 7:15:16pm
With quite strong reservations about horse racing on animal welfare grounds, I could only sit viewing the race with a tear in my eye as the jockey made history and her brother a strapper with a disability delighted the crowd and delightfully happily led the winning horse to the saddling yard.
The trainer and owners who have given the jockey a chance of her career and the trainer who has given her brother useful work in a workplace which fits him perfectly deserve recognition.
It is interesting that in an industry which appears to be male dominated, in our regional area with race meetings at two race tracks within one hundred kilometres or so of one another, a jockey who is female and a high school student had ten rides today. She is a highly valued jockey in our area and obviously enjoys support from owners and trainers.
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Fred:
03 Nov 2015 8:28:04pm
In 30-40 years, assuming that racing still exists, all jockeys will be female.
The weight scale in racing is changing more slowly than the size of the bodies of population is growing. Before too long, it will be very rare that a fully grown male human will be light enough to be a race riding jockey.
Stevie Payne, by the way, does far more than "useful work" at the Weir stable. He is head groom, a responsible position, and he is a considerable horseman in his own right.
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Rhonda:
03 Nov 2015 9:01:05pm
He also has a special rapport with the horses, a natural gift, which can neither be 'taught' nor bought...
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Fred:
03 Nov 2015 9:33:57pm
Being around horses for your entire life also helps.
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Dove:
03 Nov 2015 7:21:31pm
Horse racing is a cruel way to launder you money feed your gambling addictions, but good for her. Well done. Instead of clapped out old generals, lawyers and campaign donors they should giver her a gong
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firthy:
03 Nov 2015 8:58:13pm
Big call on saying horse racing is a way to launder money. No doubt some of that goes on but it also goes on in "businesses" that you wouldn't bat an eyelid at. The Mafia regularly did it through restaurants. If you want to have a go at horse racing have a go at it on the gambling angle as I doubt it would exist at any appreciable level if one couldn't bet on it. One cannot say that about many sports but one can run a reasonable argument along those lines regarding horse/dog racing.
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Christine:
03 Nov 2015 7:50:27pm
I suppose the horse now feels very happy that all the pain was not for nothing then. I'd be more interested to see anyone woman or man winning the Melbourne cup without having to whip their team member. Cheers
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firthy:
03 Nov 2015 8:52:43pm
It really is a great story this one.
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stephen jones:
03 Nov 2015 9:19:49pm
Yeah it is a nice story.
I was glad that the 7.30 Report picked it up and gave an interview to the victors.
It would be even better if the family was offered a full TV special.
This is the sort of success that is wholly ours in Australia ; outsiders who tell us to get stuffed !
And I concur.
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Someanon:
03 Nov 2015 9:01:56pm
No mention of the two horses that died for this?
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