Jamie Melham made history by riding Half Yours to victory in the $10 million Melbourne Cup, held on November 4. This win marks a decade since Michelle Payne became the first female jockey to win the prestigious race. Melham is now the first jockey to achieve the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double.

Half Yours surged ahead in a thrilling finish at Flemington, trained by the father-son duo of Tony and Calvin McEvoy. Joseph O’Brien’s Goodie Two Shoes finished in second place, while Middle Earth, trained by Ciaron Maher, took third. French contender Presage Nocturne, heavily favored at $5.50, did not place in the race.

Despite rain threatening the event, the Cup was run on a track rated as soft 5. Earlier in the day, jockey Mark Zahra showcased his exceptional form during the Cup carnival, securing two wins and a place in the first four races. The 43-year-old won aboard Party Crasher, who was priced at $4.80, in the Grand Handicap, and Different Gravy, also at $4.80, in the Tab Trophy. Zahra's performance brought his total to six wins and three places from 10 rides throughout the carnival, including victories in the Group 1 Victoria Derby and Coolmore Stud Stakes on Saturday.

In another highlight, fellow jockey James McDonald, who rode Pallaton to victory over Zahra’s Street Artist in race four on Cup Day, announced that he would donate his prize-money percentage from the meeting to the Tom Prebble fundraiser. Prebble, the son of former champion jockey Brett Prebble, is currently in a wheelchair after being diagnosed with paraplegia following a fall at Warrnambool in September.

The Melbourne Cup continues to be a significant event in the Australian racing calendar, drawing attention from across the nation and beyond, as it showcases both the talent of the jockeys and the quality of the horses competing.