Yesterday was Melbourne Cup Day in Australia. It’s described as ‘the horse race which stops the nation’ because...it pretty much does. Public holidays are declared in some states, offices hold sweep-stakes and many people stop what they are doing mid-afternoon, to listen and hear who crosses the finish line.
Yesterday’s race however, was particularly significant for three reasons.
First. In the field of twenty-four horses, only one was ridden by a female jockey. Her name was Michelle Payne.
Second. The horse that won, did so with one of the longest-odds ever recorded in The Melbourne Cup’s 155-year history. At the time of the race, the winning horse, “Prince of Penzance”, was priced at 101:1.
Third. “Prince of Penzance” was ridden by Michelle, who yesterday became the first ever female jockey to win ‘The Cup’.
How often when the odds are stacked against us do we consider giving-up, or pull back because ‘we were never going to win anyway’? Michelle has given us a great reminder that the only way to win, is to just keep going, regardless of how many people say that it can’t be done or who tell us that we’ve got it wrong.
Congratulations Michelle! You are an inspiration.