ENGLISH TEXTS racing world adores Francis for his adventurous spirit with his horses, his Gallic charm, and his willingness to communicate. Foreigners may fear him, as he can win their greatest races— but always with elegance and flair. He has understood everything. As he explained to us just minutes after Calandagan’ s incredible win in the Japan Cup:“ I’ m relieved, it’ s extremely stressful. It’ s so easy to stay at home, in the yard, and never put yourself out there. At that moment, I was thinking, why did I put myself through this again this year … I’ m lucky to have an exceptional horse, and my staff did an exceptional job, it’ s incredible.”
Bravo, Francis!
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MICHELLE PAYNE, 10 YEARS AFTER THE MELBOURNE CUP
BY ILARIA MILLOZZI BOTTI
Ten years ago, a Tuesday in November became forever etched in the legend of Australian sport. That day, a young woman shattered the glass ceiling of“ the race that stops a nation” and single-handedly rewrote the history of a country. Since then, Michelle Payne has never left the spotlight. Ten years after that achievement, history repeated itself with the success of Jamie Lee Kah Melham in the Melbourne Cup, confirming an increasingly clear trend in international horse racing: women continue to prove that, when given the opportunity, they are every bit the equals of their male colleagues. We met Michelle Payne in Australia.
Galorama. You’ ve ended your career without regret today. And yet— don’ t you miss the exhilaration, the adrenaline, the pressure of the big days?
Michelle Payne. We work so incredibly hard to be among the best, and then, from one day to the next, everything stops. It’ s very hard to take. But you have to recognise when your time has come. I had bad injuries. I had heavy falls over the years, including serious head traumas, and I just wasn’ t feeling well anymore. At some point, you realise you have to listen to your body. I went through long struggles with fatigue, headaches and that feeling of no longer being quite myself.
G. Today, you talk about that decision without trembling.
M. P. I really had a hard time. I suffered two very serious concussions in a row, totally unexpected incidents that happened during training. But now I am truly convinced of my decision: to take care of myself, to listen to myself. I want to breathe a little, enjoy life. I worked relentlessly to win the Melbourne Cup. The ten years that followed were dedicated to giving back to racing everything it had given me.
G. In your family of riders( editor’ s note: a trainer father and 7 of his 10 children jockeys), your brother boasts 1 Cox Plate and 18 Group 1 wins, without ever securing the most coveted victory. So who would be the best among you?!
M. P. Probably my brother Andrew. Winning the Cox Plate is a real achievement. I’ ve only won 5 Group 1s, so he definitely deserves the crown.
G. You travelled in Europe as a young rider?
M. P. I knew how dangerous this profession was, so I started planning early. Around age 20 – 21, I seriously considered becoming a trainer. I travelled all over the world, working with some of the best trainers: Aidan O’ Brien, Criquette Head, Ed Crisfords, George Deleuze, Luca Cumani. In Australia, I also spent time with Gay Waterhouse, Peter Moody and many others. Each has a very different style, but all of them work. I also went to France, where I rode at Deauville and Clairefontaine— an incredible atmosphere at the racecourse.
G. If you hadn’ t been a jockey, what other job might you have done?
M. P. That’ s a very good question, and not an easy one. I’ m not a natural athlete; I became a jockey through hard work. I think I might have enjoyed being a nurse, or maybe a personal trainer— I really discovered in racing how many different ways there are to prepare the body.
G. How did your Melbourne Cup unfold?
M. P. Everything happened like in a fairy tale! I had believed in it for 30 years. I always thought that moment could come. Before the race, I felt a certainty that something extraordinary was going to happen. You hope and sometimes the storyline matches the dream exactly. It was as
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