The four female jockeys trying to emulate Michelle Payne and win the Melbourne Cup

Almost a decade on from Michelle Payne's historic Melbourne Cup triumph, the 2024 Cup field featured a record four female jockeys vying to become just the second woman to take out the great race. Payne stunningly broke new ground in 2015, steering 100-1 roughie Prince Of Penzance to one of the biggest upsets in the history of Australia's greatest race.

And now nine years on, two female jockeys, Jamie Kah and British star Hollie Doyle, will led the charge for the girls in the 2024 edition. The pair were aboard top contenders Okita Soushi and Sea King in Tuesday's 164th edition at Flemington. While Rachel King rode The Map from the second-widest gate, and Cup debutant Winona Costin was out to cause a massive shock aboard Positivity.

None of them managed to emulate Payne, who is still the only female jockey to ever win the Melbourne Cup. But UK jockey Doyle says it is great to see so many female jockeys in this year's Melbourne Cup. "I linked up with Michelle last year and she's full of advice, so hopefully I'll see her on the day," Doyle said ahead of this year's Melbourne Cup.

"Rachel (King) rode in the US Breeders' Cup this weekend alongside me, and Jamie Kah rode a winner in Hong Kong last year also. It's great that there are a big bunch of female jockeys riding on an international stage."

Winona Costin targets shock Melbourne Cup win

Costin's mount Positivity jumped around the same odds Prince Of Penzance did in what was her first Melbourne Cup ride. The young jockey says riding in the great race is a dream come true and something she has always wanted to do since she watched Makybe Diva claim her famous hat trick in 2003-05.

"Everything about it is just so special," said Costin. "I was born around Melbourne Cup time and I've got family history in it as well, so it's a very important race to me. It's really good that all the females are getting a go. It's just how the times are changing; we're just the same as everyone now. There is no male or female, we're all just jockeys."

Costin's great-grandfather Larry Wiggins rode Akbar to second place in the 1951 Cup and her grandfather on the other side of the family, Jack Wood, prepared Captain Peri to run third behind Think Big in 1974. Four years later, her uncle Toby Autridge was a close second on Dandaleith behind Arwon.

"We haven't been fortunate enough to win it yet," she said, "but there's a little bit of history around it and hopefully I can go a bit better than them. I won't settle for second and third. I just want the win out there."

Chris Waller glad Melbourne Cup has strong female participation

Champion trainer Chris Waller, who had leading contender Buckaroo as one of his five chances in the field this year, says he is glad more and more female jockeys are being booked for rides in the great race. Waller says having strong female participation is "the most important thing" and shows that there is no boundary for who can be successful as a jockey.

"It shows that racing's a level playing field and no one's better than anybody else in my (opinion)," Waller said. "We're all even on a racetrack and that's what makes racing so unique. Age, sex, gender, nationality, religion ... there are no boundaries. We're all together and it's the United Nations of sport."

Past winners Gai Waterhouse and Sheila Laxon headline a list of six female trainers involved this year, with Just Fine and winner Knight's Choice respectively. They are joined by Annabel Neasham (Fancy Man), Debbie Rogerson (Sharp 'N' Smart), Natalie Young (Mostly Cloudy) and Oopy MacGillivray (The Map).

with AAP