Australia, insurance, car, home, live, holidays

Breakthrough:Michelle Payne is the first woman to ride a Cup winner.Credit:Joe Armao

"When I won on this horse as a three year old I felt he was a Melbourne Cup horse. Far out,I didn't think he would be that strong. He just burst to the front and he was powering to the line."

In an extraordinary race Prince of Prince of Penzance saw off the late challenge of the Irish hurdler Max Dynamite,ridden by the European champion Frankie Dettori and trained by the Irish maestro Willie Mullins,with the highly weighted Criterion,partnered by Michael Walker for the David Hayes stable,in third position.

Ed Dunlop was hoping he would finally break his duck in Australia having had three second places in the Melbourne Cup with the ageless warrior Red Cadeaux.

"Red" was not involved in the finish,but Dunlop's other contender,Trip To Paris,was a strong finishing fourth,showing that his second place in the Caulfield Cup was no fluke.

Michelle Payne rides Prince of Penzance to win the Melbourne Cup.Credit:Quinn Rooney

Weir has emerged in the past decade as one of Australia's leading trainers,winning the Victorian metropolitan trainers premiership in the past two years.

He went close to winning a Melbourne Cup with She's Archie when that mare ran second to the great Makybe Diva,but this success surely eclipses all that has come before for Weir.

Payne makes history as the first woman to ride a horse to Melbourne Cup victory.Credit:Quinn Rooney

For Payne she now becomes etched not just in racing immortality but in Australian sporting legend.

Weir was choked with the success:"It's a lifetime dream come true,its an unbelievable thing to happen to anyone."

License this article