Jamie Melham has created history, becoming the first female jockey to win the Caulfield Cup in its 149-year history.
The 34-year-old steered favourite Half Yours to an emphatic victory in the $5 million Group 1 race at Caulfield, holding off a late charge from River Of Stars to claim a moment that will be remembered for generations.
Trained by the father-son partnership of Tony and Calvin McEvoy, Half Yours capped an extraordinary rise from modest beginnings, delivering Melham her 17th Group 1 triumph and first win in one of Melbourne’s spring racing majors.
Valiant King finished third, while Presage Nocturne came fourth as early leader Adelaide River faded late.
‘Just hearing you say Caulfield Cup is going to make me cry’
An emotional Melham struggled to hold back tears in her post-race interview. “Just hearing you say ‘Caulfield Cup’ is going to make me cry,” she said. “I’ve had an incredible career and ridden 17 Group 1s now, but that major has obviously eluded me. I just wanted to get one, but now I want maybe three more, maybe a Melbourne Cup, and this horse is going to run the trip out.”
Melham praised the McEvoys’ handling of Half Yours, adding, “Everything was perfect. It worked out perfectly for him, and he had to dig dee,p and he’s an absolute superstar horse. What Tony and Calvin have done with him, they’ve just made this absolute professional of a horse.”
For Tony McEvoy, who narrowly missed winning the Cup in 2002 with Fields Of Omagh, the victory was made sweeter by sharing it with his son. “What a proud moment for me, to be able to do it with Calv,” he said. “It’s really enjoyable.”