1. Michelle J Payne was born on 29 September 1985 and is a retired Australian jockey.
24 Facts About Michelle Payne
1. 2.
Michelle Payne won the 2015 Melbourne Cup, riding Prince of Penzance, and is the first and only female jockey to win the event.
3.
The youngest child of ten of Paddy and Mary Payne, Payne grew up on a farm at Miners Rest, a locality near Ballarat in central Victoria, Australia.
4.
Michelle Payne dreamt of being a winning jockey as a child, and, at the age of seven she told her friends that she would one day win the Melbourne Cup.
5.
Michelle Payne attended Our Lady Help of Christians primary school and Loreto College, Ballarat, and entered racing aged 15, the eighth of the Payne children to do so.
6.
In March 2004, Michelle Payne fell heavily at a race in Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne, fracturing her skull and bruising her brain.
7.
Michelle Payne won her first Group One race, the Toorak Handicap at Caulfield Racecourse aboard Allez Wonder on 10 October 2009, and trainer Bart Cummings offered her the ride at the Caulfield Cup the following week.
8.
Michelle Payne was the third female jockey to ride in the Caulfield Cup.
9.
In 2010 Michelle Payne rode Yosei to victory in the Thousand Guineas at Caulfield.
10.
Michelle Payne said she was "floating on the cloud and it's a nice feeling".
11.
Michelle Payne won the Melbourne Cup on 3 November 2015, riding Prince of Penzance, a six-year-old gelding with which she had a long-term association.
12.
Michelle Payne was the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup in its 155-year history.
13.
Michelle Payne was the fourth woman to ride in the race and was coincidentally wearing the colours of the suffragette movement: purple, green and white.
14.
Michelle Payne later stated that she hopes her win "helps female jockeys".
15.
In May 2016, Michelle Payne suffered severe abdominal injuries in a race fall at Mildura.
16.
Michelle Payne underwent urgent surgery for a torn pancreas, with surgeons saving the organ, otherwise she would have become a diabetic.
17.
Michelle Payne returned to racing in September 2016, though noted that her future goals included a move from being a jockey to becoming a trainer.
18.
In May 2017, Michelle Payne received international recognition when awarded the Longines Ladies Award in Washington US The award paid tribute to "distinguished women whose careers have shown a positive influence and exceptional commitment to the equine cause".
19.
On 23 June 2017, Michelle Payne was stood down from racing after she had tested positive for the drug phentermine, an appetite suppressant banned under Australian Rule of Racing 81B.
20.
Michelle Payne faced an inquiry by Racing Victoria stewards on 29 June 2017.
21.
Michelle Payne pleaded guilty to taking the appetite suppressant phentermine and was banned for four weeks until 21 July 2017.
22.
Michelle Payne was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2016.
23.
Michelle Payne was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2021 Australia Day Honours.
24.
In 2019, Michelle Payne's victory was made into a feature film, Ride Like a Girl, with Teresa Palmer in the role of Michelle Payne.