Half Yours claims stunning victory in the Melbourne Cup after chasing down huge frontrunner – as jockey Jamie Melham’s astonishing feat makes sporting history

‘I’ve got tears in my eyes, it’s the most incredible feeling,’ Payne said after the race.

‘And for Jamie, who deserves it, it’s even better.’

‘It was when I went past Ben, actually,’ she revealed, referring to her husband Ben, who was riding Smokin’ Romans.

She also said she and her hubby constructed a plan for Half Yours in the lead-up to the biggest win of her life.

‘We don’t normally talk racing much but we ran through this race about 10, 15 times yesterday, and that is exactly what I wanted to happen,’ she said.

The winning hoop’s grandfather died last week after watching her win the Caufield Cup, and she thanked him for helping her out at Flemington today.

‘I have to mention my grandpa,’ Melham said.

‘He died last week. The last thing he watched was the Caufield Cup, and he was such a big supporter of mine.

‘So he was up there opening those gaps for me because I needed a few gaps opened then.’

Payne, the first woman to ride a Melbourne Cup winner, is speaking with Melham on Channel Nine after welcoming her to the telecast with the words, ‘Welcome to the club.’

It’s a highly emotional win for Melham, who just revealed she wore a memento of her late grandfather during the race.

Half Yours came home ahead of Goodie Two Shoes, with Middle Earth in third and River of Stars fourth.

The winning hoop revealed her grandfather died recently as she gave an emotional interview straight after that incredible win.

Jamie Melham has become the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup and Caufield Cup with that brilliant ride.

She’s the second female jockey after Michelle Payne to win the greatest race in Australia.

‘Oh my god! This is what we do it for! This is why we get out of bed every morning and work our arses off!’ she tells Channel Nine.

Arapaho got out very well but Smokin’ Romans overtook to be in the lead early on…

The 2025 Melbourne Cup is underway…

We’re just moments away now…

Don’t be fooled by the below picture – the downpour has stopped as the Cup horses take to the mounting yard at Flemington with just minutes left before the big race begins.

French horse Presage Nocturne (pictured below) is now the favourite, with the rain that has just hit the track no doubt helping drive the grey nag’s odds down.

Neil Farley has been suspended for a whopping seven races for breaking whipping rules as he rode Pittsburgh Pirate (pictured bottom, with Farley in yellow helmet and purple and yellow top) in race two at Flemington, the MA Services Grand Handicap.

Farley (pictured top) pleaded guilty to whipping his mount too many times in a thrilling finish that saw Party Crasher emerge victorious.

He was also suspended over a whipping-related offence when he struck his horse nine times during a race in February 2021.

You can see the umbrellas going up as I write this. Eddie McGuire has told Nine viewers the rain is coming with a strong wind from the south-east.

Kingswood has taken out the Kirin Ichiban Plate from Saint George and Shaiyhar.

Tom Prebble (pictured below with Michelle Payne and his father Brett) has been left confined to a wheelchair with no feeling below his chest after a horror race fall in September. Now his fellow hoop James McDonald – who has already steered a winner home today – has promised he will donate all his Cup prizemoney percentage to Prebble.

Litzdeel has won the Australian Heritage Cup.

We’re two races away from the main event…

It was estimated that 80,000 to 90,000 spectators would rock up today, despite the wet weather in Melbourne, and it looks like that top guess might be a bit conservative…

Pictured top to bottom: Melbourne socialite Rozalia Russian, Channel Nine’s Sylvia Jeffries, and AFL WAG Jessie Murphy.

Pallaton has taken out race four, the Schweppervescence Plate, after being struck by a last-minute fashion disaster.

Punters who were looking forward to seeing the horse turn out in a vibrant green and purple outfit would have been shocked to see the steed and jockey James McDonald running in a simple black and white outfit with the logo of the Victoria Racing Club on it (pictured).

Channel Nine commentator Francesca Cumani explained that the change is due to Pallaton’s team forgetting to bring the original outfit. After this result, maybe they should try that for every race.

Chelsea Becirevic has arrived with her Port Adelaide AFL star boyfriend Ivan Soldo, just days after exclusively telling Daily Mail about their wedding and family plans.

Different Gravy, which has taken out the TAB Trophy with super jockey Mark Zahra holding the reins.

In June this year, the first woman to ride a Melbourne Cup winner set tongues wagging when she posted an Instagram video showing her being kissed on the cheek by a mystery man during a cruise in Bali (pictured, bottom).

Now Payne has stepped out with Gabriel Ribeiro at Flemington, with the pair looking very happy in each other’s company.

Payne also posted some social media shots of Ribeiro enjoying some time at her farm in Ballarat last month…

Here we have (top to bottom) A Current Affair host Ali Langdon, her fellow Channel Nine star Samantha Armytage, and TV chef Melissa Leong

The daughter of swimming legend Michael Klim and his ex Lindy is wearing a custom gown by Atoir.

In 2014, Kate Peck wore a $3million fascinator to Victoria Derby Day. She’s gone for a simpler look today, with tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis going for a black tie look with a difference.

Earl Thomas was one of the most feared men in the NFL when he won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks. He’s wearing a slightly smaller set of shoulder pads in his dapper suit at Flemington today.

Party Crasher has won the MA Services Grand Handicap in another close finish, just beating Pittsburgh Pirate.

The style icon and racing heiress is wearing an Alin Le’ Kal dress with an Ezara/J hat, coupled with Jimmy Choo supplying her shoes and bag.

Tornado Valley’s victory in the day’s first race was the subject of a protest from second-placed Tales of Time, alleging interference at the 500m mark of the Maribyrnong Cup. The stewards have thrown it out.

Pictured top to bottom: Victoria Racing Club CEO Kylie Rogers, Hannah McKnight and Emma Dowling.

Netball star Rudi Ellis has gone for a simple but stunning look.

We already brought you one punter rocking a technicolour dreamcoat, and now he’s got some company in the form of these extravagantly attired gentlemen.

Tornado Valley has taken out the Maribyrnong Plate over 1000m in a tight finish from Tales of Time.

Here’s how the action on the track will unfold…

10.45am: Darley Maribyrnong Plate

11.20am: MA Services Grand Handicap

12.40pm: Schweppervescence Plate

1.20pm: Australian Heritage Cup

1.55pm: Kirin Ichiban Plate

3.50pm: Lexus Amanda Elliott

4.35pm: Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes

5.15pm: Channel Nine Trophy

Moraya Wilson won the Miss Universe Australia crown in 2023, and was runner-up in the worldwide pageant. She arrived in a Jason Grech gown that should be a hit in the Birdcage.

Sisters Sara Nicotera and Livia Della-Fontana have been turning heads at the Cup for around 30 years, and they didn’t disappoint with the latest version of their incredibly flamboyant hats today. This morning they joked that they have to train their neck muscles to support their towering headwear/

Macquarie Capital’s team of quantitative analysts are regarded as some of the smartest data scientists in the country, trusted with predicting incredibly complex market movements with millions of dollars at stake.

They have turned their talents to predicting today’s winner, and so has a separate AI model. Both the ‘quants’ and the artificial intelligence are in agreement – Half Yours (pictured below) will be first past the post today.

The mad dash for the best spots at a Flemington has kicked off as the first of an expected 80,000 to 90,000 fans flood through the gates.

It’s not raining at the track at the moment but the weather is unlikely to stay fine…

Thanks for joining us for the Daily Mail’s coverage of the 2025 Melbourne Cup.

We’ll be here with you all day to keep you up to date with all the action both on and off the track as we build up to the running of the famous race at 3pm.