Melbourne Cup 2025: Jamie Melham Writes Her Name in the Record Books
Jamie Melham has etched her name into horse racing folklore after becoming the first female jockey to win the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup.
Melham’s victory aboard Half Yours in ‘the race that stops the nation’ made her the second woman to win the Flemington Racecourse showpiece after Michelle Payne.
Half Yours produced a sustained run in the home straight to finish two lengths clear of Goodie Two Shoes, with Middle Earth behind in third. Melham was understandably delighted after the race.
“What just happened?” she said. “Oh my god. This is what we dream of when we first get our jockey license. You want to ride in the Melbourne Cup, let alone win the Melbourne Cup. That’s something I’ve been thinking about all week. This feeling is indescribable. We just won the best race in Australia. This is what we do it for. This is why we get up out of bed every morning at 4.00 am. It’s tough, it’s not all glorious and perfect as everyone can see sometimes. I’ve had an amazing year. Got married, had some really great days on the track, but nothing ever, ever compares to this feeling right now I’m feeling.”
While Melham was happy to wax lyrical about her Melbourne Cup success, one of her rival jockeys was less enamoured with how things panned out.
United States-based jockey John Velazquez refused to comment after Belmont Gold Cup winner Parchment Party trailed home 20th out of 24 runners. The three-time Kentucky Derby winner added international flavour to the Melbourne Cup, but he never looked like recording a memorable victory.
New Zealand-born James McDonald was also out of luck aboard Meydaan, finishing tenth after running out of steam in the final two furlongs. The Kiwi’s popularity resulted in numerous punters availing themselves of the bookmakers’ attractive horse racing odds ahead of the race.
Meydaan was going well around the home turn, but was unable to produce a finishing kick towards the business end of the race.
“He ran well,” McDonald said. “He got into a lovely spot, switched off well but probably just found the 3,200 metres a fraction too far.”
Two-time Melbourne Cup winning trainer Joseph O’Brien narrowly missed out on adding another triumph to his CV with Goodie Two Shoes.
The JP McManus-owned horse hit the front in the home straight before being overhauled with a furlong to run by Half Yours.
O’Brien, who won the Melbourne Cup with Rekindling in 2017 and Twilight Payment in 2020, praised jockey Wayne Lordan after the race.
“Wayne gave her a wonderful ride but there was one horse better handicapped than us,” O’Brien said. “I’m very proud of her and delighted for all the McManus family. They got a huge thrill out of competing in the Melbourne Cup and getting such a good run. It looked like she was right in the mix at the furlong marker, but a furlong is a long way in racing.”
O’Brien’s Al Riffa also ran a creditable race to finish seventh under top weight. The Irish St Leger winner was unable to keep pace with the placed horses.
“Al Riffa didn’t run a bad race and he kept coming all the way to the line,” O’Brien added. “From where we were early, with his weight and given how the race was set up, it was always going to be tough. It was no-one’s fault but we didn’t get the rub of the green. He’ll have other days.”
Melbourne Cup 2025 – Finishing Order
- Half Yours
- Goodie Two Shoes
- Middle Earth
- River of Stars
- Torranzino
- Vauban
- Al Riffa
- Absurde
- Changingoftheguard
- Meydaan
- Furthur
- Arapaho
- Flatten The Curve
- Smokin’ Romans
- Royal Supremacy
- Onesmoothoperator
- Valiant King
- More Felons
- Presage Nocturne
- Parchment Party
- Athabascan
- Land Legend
- Chevalier Rose
- Buckaroo
