Katelyn Mallyon: 'I'll be the second woman to win'
Jockey Katelyn Mallyon says the racing industry will never be the same after her friend and mentor Michelle Payne became the first female to win the Melbourne Cup.
Katelyn, 21, shared her ambition of being the first woman to win Melbourne Cup in a on Seven's Sunday night.
Is Katelyn poised to be the second?
"Definitely, oh definitely I can pull it off," Katelyn said.
"Michelle has been a huge part of my career."
"It was amazing, unbelievable, just fantastic to see her take out number one."
She has seen first hand the struggle female jockeys face and says this win could be the catalyst for change.
"You need good support, Michelle had plenty of owners that wanted her off the horse and only a few that wanted her on," she said.
"Now she's won the hardest race to win."
Michelle says it has been a lifetime of sacrifice to reach the top but told Sunrise she always 'had a feeling' she would take out the title.
"I just really hope that it's a good message for everyone out there," Michelle Payne said.
"I always had a feeling I would win a Melbourne Cup and it's just amazing."
"You have to have faith in yourself no matter where you come from."
Katelyn is the granddaughter of multiple Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Mick Mallyon and has already become the first woman to win her metropolitan title in the 2011/2012 season.
She then smashed records to win it again in 2013/2014 following a spinal fracture.
In May 2012 on the Flemington home straight her horse ‘Deliver The Dream’ clipped the heels of the horse in front and went down.
Katelyn was lucky to survive.
"I had a compressed fracture of my T6 vertebrae, a lacerated spleen, I fractured my cheek bone and I was placed into a coma for four days," Katelyn said.
But she is one of the toughest and most ambitious female jockeys in the country, and says Michelle Payne's win gives women a fair chance to dominate in racing.
"It is so good for the racing industry, there's always doubt in owner's minds, they think we're not strong enough and good enough," Katelyn Mallyon said.
"[Michelle] proved that wrong."
"When you are on a horse that has got a really good chance in the race it’s such a thrill and to have them travelling underneath you."
"It is our whole life and Michelle is really someone to look up to."
The National Jockeys Trust provides support for former and current jockeys and their families, who have suffered as a result of serious injury, illness or death related to their occupation as a jockey.
To make a donation or for further information please visit www.njt.org.au
Since filming our story, sadly Louise’s horse, Cooper, has passed away. If you can help Louise to find a quiet, dressage-trained horse please contact The National Jockeys Trust on 02 9894 9629.
