You've got to dream big and that's what I'm doing.
Michelle Payne is one of Australia's most admired public figures, and she is celebrated for her groundbreaking achievement of becoming the first and only woman to win the Melbourne Cup in 2015 aboard Prince of Penzance. Her victory, against odds of 100 to 1, captured the hearts of Australians and established her as a national icon.
Beyond her historic win, Michelle has excelled as a highly successful horse trainer, jockey, and author. Raised on a farm in Miners Rest, near Ballarat in Central Victoria, she is the youngest of ten children. Despite the tragic loss of her mother in a car accident when Michelle was just six months old, she was drawn to the world of horse racing, a path that was shared by many of her siblings.
Michelle’s career has not been without significant challenges. At 18, she suffered a serious fall during a race at Sandown in 2004, resulting in a fractured skull and bruising to her brain. Further falls in 2012 and 2016 led to life-threatening injuries, but her resilience and determination saw her return to the sport each time, inspiring many with her strength and perseverance.
Her impact extends far beyond the racing world. In 2016, she was awarded the prestigious Don Prize for Most Inspirational Australian Athlete at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Awards, alongside several other accolades, including Sportswoman of the Year and the Women of Style: Sport Award. Michelle and her brother Stephen were also honoured as Queen and King of Moomba.
In recognition of her contributions to horse racing, Michelle received the International Longines Ladies Award in 2017, and in 2022 she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM). She also released a bestselling memoir, Life As I Know It, in 2016, and her life story was brought to the big screen in the 2019 film Ride Like a Girl, which became the highest-grossing Australian film that year.
In 2021, Michelle’s Melbourne Cup victory was voted the most significant moment in Sport Australia Hall of Fame history from a shortlist of 20 iconic sporting events over the past six decades. Today, she continues to inspire through her successful training operation at Nottingham Farm in Ballarat and her new venture on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.
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Michelle Payne's historic Melbourne Cup win | Anh's Brush With Fame
Michelle Payne is a big name in Australian horse racing. She overcame family tragedy and life-threatening injuries to achieve her dream of becoming the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup. Anh asked Michelle to take him back to that day and explain what was going through her mind during her iconic win. #ABWFMichelle Payne: First female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup
As a child, Michelle Payne dreamed of one day winning the Melbourne Cup. Following in her father's footsteps, she began horse racing at an early age, often competing as the only woman in the traditionally male-dominated sport. In 2015, she made history, becoming the first woman in 150 years to win the Melbourne Cup. Today, she's paving the way for the next generation of women to ride on and live out their dreams.On behalf of the Victoria Police Amateur Sports & Welfare Society (VPAS&WS) Executive, I wish to let you know what an absolute delight it was to have Michelle attend our evening. I had heard ... keep reading Victoria Police Amateur Sports & Welfare Society Executive
I think I'm safe to say that the 8th Parkin Oration will be remembered as a very special evening with a very special person. While you are justifiably renown, even revered, for being the first female jockey to win the internationally coveted Melbourne Cup, as we have had the privilege to hear tonight, there is so much more to your story than those three-and-a-half minutes. While we too stand in awe of your ability to out-perform the very best, on the very biggest of stages, it is your resilience, humility, compassion, determination and grace that compel us.
We knew she would be inspirational; she was so much more. Michelle Payne's interview with Richard Morecroft at Engineers Australia #iwd2023 Sydney event today was authentic, insightful and heart-warming. Michelle won the Melbourne Cup as only the 6th woman who had raced in its 155 year history in 2015. Over her career she raced over 7,000 times winning over 700 races. She reminded us the importance of giving it a go, dusting yourself off, pushing through, having grit, resilience, determination and persistence. You could have heard a pin drop as she spoke, many an attendee said they had tears with some of her answers. Such as "I felt like my victory (at the Melbourne Cup) was for all of the women who had come before me." and "my Dad use to say, the girls are just as good as the boys, they just need the opportunities."
