As Jamie Melham returned to the mounting yard, she sought out Michelle Payne, who had created history a decade ago when riding Prince of Penzance to victory.

Her blue and black silks were caked in mud. She had two glittering earrings in her ears, both sparkling like her eyes. And her face was glistening with tears as she described her joy.

The superstar then found Tony McEvoy, who had been a strong supporter of the South Australian-raised jockey, weaving her way through a crammed mounting yard just as she had found a passage through the Melbourne Cup field .

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Her next target was her mum Karen, before she tracked down her

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