Katelyn Mallyon will be the only female jockey racing in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup race, hoping to take home the same top spot as last year’s historic victor, Michelle Payne.
Payne’s 2015 win on Prince of Penzance was a ground-breaking moment for not only Australian racing, but women in sport.
And while she’d probably love the chance to back up her win, Payne is not competing in the famous race this year. The 31-year-old suffered a serious fall earlier in the year and even though she’s back in the saddle (she raced on Darby Day at the weekend) her victorious Cup winner, Prince of Penzance is out with an injury of his own.
Jockey Michelle Payne made history for women when she became the first female rider to win the Melbourne Cup.
So it is left to 22-year-old Mallyon, who will be aboard Assign, to hopefully be the second female jockey to hopefully bring it home this year.
After her gutsy win in 2015 Payne was fast to stick it to her doubters.
She thanked those who gave her a go in the illustrious race, saying, “I know some of the owners were keen to kick me off,” but then said, “I want to say to everyone else, get stuffed, because women can do anything and we can beat the world.”
Katelyn Mallyon will be aboard Assign in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.
As for this year’s potential winner, Mallyon is a fourth-generation jockey. While she says she’s not had the same experience in the “chauvinistic sport” as Payne puts it, she does acknowledge that last year’s historic win has set a new bench mark for what female jockeys can strive toward.
“I think all the girls feel a bit more confident about what we are doing now,” she told The Daily Telegraph.
Adding: “There are plenty of girls coming through who know what is achievable. Thanks to Michelle riding a 100-1 winner in the Melbourne Cup we’re proving ourselves.”
