Star jockey Jamie Melham (nee Kah) knows a bit about making history.
In 2020/21, she became the first jockey to ever ride 100 winners in a Melbourne metropolitan racing season.
During the same season she overtook Michelle Payne to become Australia’s most successful Group One female jockey, a record she continues to hold today with 18, including wins in some of the sport’s biggest races including the Doncaster, Blue Diamond and Victoria Derby.
Melham was the first, and still only, female jockey to win the prestigious Hong Kong Classic Mile back in 2023 and just two weeks ago, the 29-year-old became the first female jockey to salute in the Caulfield Cup aboard Half Yours—the favourite for the race that stops the nation next Tuesday.
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Should Melham win at Flemington, she will become only the second female jockey to claim Australia’s most famous horse race following the trailblazing win of Michelle Payne in 2015 aboard 100-1 shot Prince of Penzance.
But win or lose on Tuesday, Melham is certain to set yet another ‘record’ when she joins husband Ben in the starting gates to become the first married couple to ever race against each other in 165 editions of the Melbourne Cup.
While Jamie will take the reins of the highly fancied Half Yours ($6.50 favourite), Ben will be piloting one of the rank outsiders in the 2025 field Smokin’ Romans ($71), with dinner table bragging rights firmly on the line.
Neither Melham has ever won the Cup, but both husband and wife have been very close in their respective careers.
Ben’s best result came back in 2017 when he finished second aboard Johannes Vermeer.
Jamie has finished third twice, including last year riding Okita Soushi.
If either wins this Tuesday, dare we say it will be even more Melham-bourne Cup history.
