First Female Jockey Wins Melbourne Cup

A female jockey won Australia’s Melbourne Cup for the first time in the race’s 155-year history at Flemington Racecourse on Tuesday. Michelle Payne was riding New Zealand-born Prince of Penzance, a 6-year-old gelding who entered at 100-to-1 odds, in the country’s most famous race. The 31-year-old is the youngest of 10 children and the eighth child in the family to have entered the race. Payne is only the fourth female jockey to compete in the race’s history. “It’s such a chauvinistic sport. A lot of the owners wanted to kick me off. Everyone else can get stuffed [who] think women aren’t good enough,” Payne said.