If Jamie Melham had taken her mother’s advice, she might never have become the first female jockey to win both the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup.

Melham steered Half Yours, trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, to victory in both Cups, joining Michelle Payne as the only women to win the Melbourne Cup.

Riding under her maiden name Jamie Kah, Melham suffered a life-threatening fall at Flemington in 2023. Her mother urged her to retire, but she refused.

“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.

She admitted nerves struck before the Caulfield Cup, but not before the Melbourne Cup.

“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.”

The achievement has yet to fully sink in.
“You dream of winning it, but nothing prepares you for the feeling. It was insane,” she said.