Jamie Melham’s emotion-charged triumph at Caulfield on Saturday could not have come at a better time for Victorian racing.

Her historic victory, becoming the first female jockey to win the $5 million group 1 race, stopped the time-honoured Caulfield Cup from being shoved permanently in the shade of Sydney’s attention-hogging sprint race The Everest.

This time last year, Melham had jetted north to Randwick to take part in that city’s $20 million spectacular, only for her mount Traffic Warden to be scratched at the barriers.

But her absence robbed the Caulfield carnival of this state’s No.1 draw card and the sort of high-achieving celebrity that not only transcends the sport but drags in new fans.

This year, there was no such void. Adding to the romance of the day was Melham’s understand

See Full Page