In all of the hype surrounding the wonderful achievement that Michelle Payne recorded in winning the Melbourne Cup, perhaps the greatest back story has been overlooked.
Yes, it is a win for other female jockeys and what they can achieve and further proof they can get amazing results if provided the opportunity.
Yes, it might help breakdown the male dominance of racing. Yes, it is a win for women in all sport, not just racing.
Yes, it will boost the profile of other sporting women and their endeavours. There are so many facets that this win will help achieve for female athletes.
However, what appears to have been lost in the wash up and the gender discussion since, is that this result is what racing is all about.
That moment on Tuesday when Prince of Penzance won the Melbourne Cup is the perfect advertisement on how racing transcends life to provide the greatest stories and fairytales.
Racing is big business, the economic impact it provides to the Australian economy and its flow-on effects are massive. Consider the number of horse trainers, strappers, drivers, track-workers and jockeys that are at the coal face of horse racing in both codes.
With the dollars, revenue and associated money generated, racing is commonly referred to as the racing industry. This is a fundamental flaw in what it really is.
Does the mining industry have feel good stories? Does the transport industry produce fairytales that inspire? Would those employed in the hospitality industry have a back story that generates triumph and glory?
Yes, I’m sure that there are many great stories from every corner of life in different employment industries. Yet sport is where the greatest stories are generated, because of the meaning of sport to our lives and the fact sport can be a great leveller.
Racing needs to ensure that it pitches itself for what it really is. It is a sport. It is not an industry, because in racing the greatest stories of all the sports exist.
Sam Regonini, in writing about the Philosophy of Sport asserts:
“Sport permeates any number of levels of contemporary society, and it touches upon and deeply influences such disparate elements as status, race relations, business life, automotive design, clothing styles, the concept of hero, language, and ethical values.”
Going by that, we can see that sport is all encompassing. While everyone may not be a sport fan or a racing fan, you would be hard pressed to find someone who cannot recount a great story or fairytale that has its origins, life and finality associated in some way to a sport.
Perhaps racing regulators and marketers need to target the feel good factor more, shy away from the glitz, glamour, action and excitement that racing so appropriately delivers. Focus on the human element and the impact those stories generate.
Racing stories and fairytales abound but they also have strong life lessons attached to them.
Sure, Payne dreamt of winning and the fairytale finish came true, but behind the story is a truth of bloody hard work for a long time that placed her in a position to live the tale. It didn’t just happen, there are a lifetime of mini-chapters along the way that brought her to the climax of the story.
It are these stories that racing needs to leverage. The story of Stevie Payne and his relationship with his sister, choosing the barrier that placed Prince of Penzance in the winning position for the race.
The yarns that the everyday people can relate to, and racing has so many of them. In all of us there is a dreamer who yearns of achieving something great. Racing is a platform that brings those dreams to reality for those of us lucky enough to be involved.
For anyone who has ever owned a racehorse (galloper or trotter) or greyhound, they will tell you there is no feeling like seeing your pride and joy cross that line first. For many it might only be a bush maiden, but in the reality and sphere of their life, that is the Melbourne Cup.
Our country need only look to the legacy of Phar Lap and what his career meant to a country in the grips of a depression. He became a national icon, because people dared to dream and he was their hope.
The story of Joe Janiak, the Queanbeyan taxi driver that lived in a caravan at the racetrack who turned a $1400 cast-off into a cult hero. Janiak took him all the way to the toffee-nosed top-hat and tails set of Royal Ascot and returned home a winner, with the horse winning over $6 million in stakes.
The story of the Billinger family from South Australia and their cult hero Come On Frank, a pacer that has now won 55 races. It is not as well known as many other stories, however it leaves a poignant reminder of how racing can go beyond the paradigm of being an avenue for gambling. It is a tightly woven tapestry that bursts with colour of the story that goes with the sport, providing the horse to be the healing tool for the family.
Makybe Diva is the story of a fisherman from South Australia who sported a fantastic mullet and shared his passion with his staff and with the rest of Australia. His horse has gone on to be one of the most well known female athletes of the 21st century in Australia.
Not a bad result for an equine in a sport that only receives heightened and mainstream dedicated media coverage for four days in November and a token day here or there for the rest of the year.
Racing provides the backdrop for so many lives of everyday people that have the plot, twists and arc to be theatre productions. Yet these are the daily realities and routines of people who love the sport of racing, love their animals and work hard to achieve success.
The striking image of Gerald Mosse after he had dismounted from Red Cadeaux in the Melbourne Cup highlights the emotional attachment that comes in the sport. In the ultimate theatre of any sport, any high stakes (monetary or other) game brings the real emotions and competitive flame out in people.
Sport is the only forum where David can meet Goliath and can spring a defeat with regular occurrence. Racing, more so than other sports, for in racing the animal very rarely knows before the battle that his competitor is bigger, faster and stronger. Racing is an almighty leveller where the Joe Janiaks of this world get to rub shoulders with royalty.
And so back to Payne. Yes, the result might help women take a big step in the fight for equality. But it’s time we stop making that the focus.
Don’t let gender be the focus of this story. It is a story that has too many chapters to be classified into the genre of feminism and equality. This is a story about a family that was dealt a crap hand but they didn’t fold and cash out. They grafted and fought and through that fight has come the success that is so richly deserved.
There is always a back story in racing. Finding and broadcasting those stories is the conduit to connect with the public. A trainer can prepare a horse and do everything in their power to have the animal at peak physical preparedness.
So often, it’s the plot of the back story that overtakes the actual result of the sporting contest, because after all who doesn’t like to dream?
What male doesn’t want to save the princess and what female doesn’t want her knight in shining armour to rescue her? People like to see fairytales don’t they? People want to dream, to have hope and to have faith in the extraordinary happening to them.
Like the result on Tuesday, it proves that wherever there is hope and dreams, a new story is always on the shelf ready to be released for publication. The sport of racing harbours these dreams and offers the rocket ship to success. It just depends who is ready for take-off.
Gender and equality should not be the story we remember this Melbourne Cup for.
The sport of racing always has the best-sellers, we just need more characters in the story and more people to help be the storytellers.
Glenn Innes
Guest
Phil-- Who cares?. Racing is never going to be like those sports because you need lots of room to keep a horse and there not cheap to keep. Some people like Chess, some like Soduku some enjoy handicapping (and Calvinist busybodies forbid) sometimes even gambling on it.Given that you can gamble on anything these days maybe, just maybe, the people who still choose to bet horse racing do so because (shock horror) they are interested in it. Since the Cup went metric in 1972 only three horses have carried more than 56,5kg to win it and only one since 1977 (indeed I pen these horses because they never win) and she was a mare, Iif you live to be a hundred and fifty you might see another mare carry 58kg to win a Melbourne Cup. Also she did win the Australian Cup and break the track record on a flint hard track,Second highest rating mare on my database which stretches back to the late eighties, Mark Read gave her 117 for that run, at that time the highest rating he had ever given to a mare , who care who owned her, and she was not chucked in she had to run record ratings for a mare to win she had to go to a new PB on her best previous rating she could not win (and I took her on) Iron Horse.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
True
no one in particular
Roar Guru
"Makybe Diva is the story of a fisherman from South Australia who sported a fantastic mullet and shared his passion with his staff and with the rest of Australia" Makybe Diva is the story of a guy worth $200 million, who owned a horse that was treated very, very kindly by the handicapper and used emotional blackmail to get conditions to suit
Phil
Guest
"what woman doesn't want to be saved by a knight in shining armour?" Really? Your argument can be summed up as, "The first woman to win the Melbourne Cup said that racing was a chauvinistic sport and most owners wouldn't let a woman ride in the melbourne cup, but don't make this about gender. It's about how great racing is and the great stories it produces and the way people can overcome challenges and adversity can inspire people and that's what we should focus on." Even though a woman just said one of the biggest of those challenges she has had to overcome is sexist attitudes of men in the racing industry, who really cares what she says. As for racing being a sport not an industry... can you tell me one other sport in Australia that doesn't have a grassroots, non-gambling based community level of the sport? You want to connect with the public, it has to become a participatory and not just spectator sport. Most people don't love AFL, rugby, league, cricket, soccer, netball, tennis because they can have a punt on it; they love it because they grew up playing it, or their kids play it, they have a local club that is a hub of their community where they can come down on a weekend and cook the BBQ, play a sport they love or watch people they care about doing what they enjoy. If people are serious about changing the community's perspective of the sport and making it about more than just having a punt or a fancy day out at the races, set up 100% amateur community racing clubs with no gambling allowed, where people who own and love horses can come out and take them for a gallop and race against riders from other clubs with family and friends for spectators; have different grades, weight classes, breeds, etc. There's a little bit of that in the bush, but very little elsewhere. Not just an elite level built around the gambling industry where horses are expendable and people are only interested because of the chance of winning money.
Nathan Absalom
Roar Guru
A very good piece Darren. It was the story of empowerment that was most compelling, the way Michelle and Stevie Payne were able to overcome the challenges in their life to fulfill their dreams.
Aransan
Guest
I am sure Darren Weir was quite unprepared to make his speech at the presentation. I believe there are about 50 part-owners of that horse and my guess is that quite a number had a less than 1% interest, my guess is that the part-owners who wanted to dump her were in this group with very small interests and that the principal owners were happy to stick with her along with the trainer.
Aransan
Guest
But it was important that it was said just the same.
Allanthus
Guest
Thanks Darren, really good piece. Some of the feminista bandwagon-jumping has been as predictable as it is tiring. I think what she said about the sport was quite ok, and true, but she would also say that she didn't intend to launch a crusade. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Darren Clayton
Roar Rookie
That's what I was trying to lead towards. As an avid racing enthusiast, I know already how good the females of the sport are. It's the other stories that we need to make aware, like Michelle's bond with Stevie, those types of yarns. The females are top notch in harness racing and Fernando Bale, Australia's 1st millionaire greyhound is trained by a female, Andrea Dailly. I just want more mainstream media coverage of racing altogether because it's my passion. I know how many great yarns that are out there that revolve around racing and great stories need to be told.
Darren Clayton
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the kind words. I will keep chipping away, waiting for an opening.
Darren Clayton
Roar Rookie
Cheers
Malz
Guest
I happen to be from India but an ardent and dedicated follower of the Australian racing scene having attended the Melbourne Cup back in 2011 when DUNADEN won the MC. Well firstly thumbs up to Michelle Payne for doing the unthinkable - winning The Melbourne Cup on a horse giving 101:1 odds.Unbelievable !! Great job done young lady. Secondly thumbs up to Darren Clayton for such a profound article and the write up on her performance and people's faith in the extraordinary. It has been so well put and catches the essence of horse racing in its true sense. To call him a Roar Rookie is an insult to his capability of putting across his point of view so lucidly and convincingly. I think it is an excellent read and very professionally written. Keep them coming Clayton !!
george jay
Guest
With respect I disagree with you John H. that Darren Weir gave Prince of Penzance to Michelle Payne because the horse did not have any chance of winning the Cup. True, as an astute Flemington trainer when comparing the local and international horses that they were up against, he said he was happy if Prince of Penzance finished in the top ten. But I think the connections knew they were in with a chance. a) Her last run was in the Mooney Valley Cup (a lead up race to the Melbourne Cup) where Michelle rated Prince of Penzance perfectly in the lead to try and win the MVC for the second year running. However, United States, a much fancied mount from the LLoyd William's camp enjoyed the record breaking tempo and wore down the gallant front runner, Prince of Penzance to win by half a length stopping the clock at 2m 34.43 s, smashing the previous course record by more than a second. b) Melbourne Cup is a Handicap and every horse is in with a chance. c) Prince of Penzance had run 24 times of which 23 times the rider was Michelle Payne and only last year in the Queen Elizabeth when ridden by Hugh Bowman, when Michelle was unavailable, Prince of Penzance came 2nd to Le Roi whom Michelle on Prince of Penzance beat in the Mooney Valley Cup. d) Although Steve had been working for Darren Weir for the last decade we never saw him in the limelight. He came for the barrier draw and drew a perfect barrier for the Prince! To show the world that people with disability are quite capable of doing a regular job if given a chance. In view of the above I am sure that Darren Weir knew that Prince of Penzance had an exceptionally good chance and that is why he had to fight hard to keep the best jockey on the Prince for the Cup. On the subject of gender issues some consider Michelle had made a serious error of judgement. Michelle made a fantastic victory speech and touched on women in sports. Michelle said 'It's such a chauvinistic sport.' What would have been the position if Darren Weir and John Richards could not prevail on the other owners to stick with Michelle in the Cup and a substitute jockey won on Prince of Penzance. Only Craig Williams will truly understand that predicament, as he was suspended and he could not bear to watch even on TV Americain winning the Cup. Only the person who has the wound feels the pain! Michelle said 'I know some of the owners were keen to kick me off, John Richards and Darren stuck strongly with me, and I put in all the effort I could and galloped him all I could because I thought he had what it takes to win the Melbourne Cup.' Then she said, 'I want to say to everyone else, (Is she referring to those owners who wanted her off?) get stuffed because they think women aren't strong enough but we just beat the world. Remember 2012 when the title Sportswoman of the year was bestowed on Black Caviar by a daily newspaper. It was also reported that Sally Pearson - London Olympic gold medallist and golden girl of Australian Sports was pipped at the post when Black Caviar was picked!! Now this was offensive not the light hearted comments by the female winning jockey of the Melbourne Cup who had an axe to grind.
John Hutchinson
Guest
I think Michelle actually stuck it up a few people last Tuesday. She has played second fiddle right through her life, behind brother Patrick and sister Therese, who could arguably be the best female Jockey Australia has produced. I Googled an article Max Presnell wrote back in 2003 and Therese was joking that they affectionately called Michelle" Puppy Fat". What is also stated was that Michelle (at 17) had ridden 860 Races in the 2001-2002 season and had won over $1million in Prizemoney. The sad thing is that if Darren Weir had given the horse any chance of winning (he's quoted as saying he thought him a "Top 10 finisher"), Michelle would not have ridden in the Cup. That is what Michelle is up against. She's a great rider and rode the perfect race. Anyone "with any expertise" watching the Race though, would have seen that it was the one to beat at the Top of the straight, the horse was travelling too well, the only other horse going as well was Dettori's horse and he'd got stuck in traffic...that's where Michelle's experience made the difference. She's won me a little money over the years, and hopefully will for a few more yet.
Leeroyz
Roar Rookie
What a fantastic piece Darren. Your "rookie" days are coming to an end. Well done!
Aransan
Guest
A very good read.
Cudoit
Guest
Look, frankly I think the highlighting of the gender issue by Michelle, caught up in the moment was an error of judgement she probably wouldn't make again. It probably made good copy for the mainstream media pushing it out to Joe Public, but does anyone involved in racing really still harbor these kinds of thoughts and put men on because they think they will get a better result ? Sure maybe a few old time dinosaurs living in the past, but I reckon the girls have well and truely spoken for themselves in the last few years, talents such as Lucy Warwick, Linda Meech, Kathy O'Hara countless others including over the ditch in N.Z where they dominate virtually every meeting is proof positive that the sort of stuff Michelle was alluding to is well in the past. She sold herself short, she won the cup with a brilliant ride, not because she is a female.
JB
Guest
A woman proves all the naysayers wrong, but hey let's not make it about gender. When you think it's ok to describe a horse as a female athlete you make it all about gender.