If Jamie Melham had listened to her mother, she may never have become the first female rider to complete the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup double.
Melham guided the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Half Yours to victory in both Cups, joining Michelle Payne as the only women to have won the Melbourne Cup in the saddle.
Melham, who was riding under her maiden name Jamie Kah at the time, was critically injured in a race fall at Flemington in March 2023. During her recovery, her mother urged her to give racing away.
“My mum wanted me to retire, and I couldn’t work out why until I saw a photo on my husband’s phone of how I looked in hospital,” Melham said.
“I can’t remember anything from that fall. I was always hoping I would get back to the races and be 100 per cent, but it took me a while to get back to being myself.
“We all dream of winning the Melbourne Cup, but you don’t really think you’re going to do it, even though I was on the early favourite and I thought he was a great chance.”
Melham said she was more nervous heading into the Caulfield Cup than Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.
“I was really nervous going into the Caulfield Cup, and once we got that out of the way and ticked that off the bucket list, I wasn’t nervous yesterday,” she said.
“Calvin and Tony were great. They didn’t give me any instructions. They just said, ‘go and have some fun’, and I think that was the best advice.”
Melham has made a habit of breaking barriers. She was the first woman to win a Melbourne Jockeys’ Premiership, the first to ride 100 metro winners in a Melbourne season, and the first to win a Caulfield Cup.
Still, she admits the enormity of the Cups double has yet to fully sink in.
“We do this for our family and friends. Mum and Dad were there yesterday. Dad was trying to keep himself together and Mum was crying. I don’t think I was the only one with wet eyes.”
The emotion of the day eventually caught up with Melham, who called it an early night—but she couldn’t stay asleep for long.
“Ben said I looked pale and all the colour had gone out of my face, so I went to bed around 11 o’clock,” she said.
“Then I was up at 2am just watching replays. I reckon I watched it 60 or 70 times.”
“You dream of winning it, but nothing prepares you for the feeling. It was insane. I don’t think it has sunk in yet—it’ll take a few more days.”
