Michelle Payne with the Melbourne Cup. Photo / Photosport
"What kind of woman would want to compete in the most dangerous sport in the world?"
That was Australian actress and director Rachel Griffiths' initial thought when she watched the Melbourne Cup in 2015, before rephrasing the question to herself.
"What kind of woman would it take to do that?"
The answer: Michelle Payne.
At odds of 100 to one, Payne rode her way to glory on thoroughbred Prince of Penzance to become the first female jockey in history to win horse racing's toughest two-mile race.
It was the pinnacle of what had been an upward battle marred by early failures, family tragedies and a near-fatal fall.
Against medical advice and the protest of both her nine older siblings and single father Paddy, Payne overcame the impossible to make 'the race that stops the nation' a race that inspired one.
With all the ingredients of a great film before her, Griffiths set out with the ambition to put Payne's life on screen, and four years on, 'Ride Like A Girl' is being released in cinemas around the world.
Payne was initially overwhelmed at the thought of her life being played out in a film.
It hadn't been an easy road to the top and the 34-year-old was wary of how having the personal aspects of her life so publicly explored would affect not only her, but her family.
She had lost her mother when she was only six months old before losing her oldest sister to a track-related incident.
Payne, herself, suffered a scary fall which left her with a fractured skull and bruising to her brain. It took more than a year for her to recover completely.
Her relationship with her father had also gone through a rough patch after he cut off contact with her for a year when she left her position as his apprentice to pursue a career opportunity in Melbourne.
Apprehensive of reliving the dark days and of how her life would be portrayed, it took a year for Payne to give Griffiths and producer Richard Keddie the green light.
But it's not a decision she's come to regret, recalling her positive reaction after watching the film for the first time on screen.
"Obviously it's very overwhelming, as you can imagine, when there's a film being made about yourself," Payne says. "But I was open-minded and just wanted to enjoy it for what it was.
"The first time I saw it … it was such a surreal moment but I was blown away. I thought it was brilliant.
"To think that I wouldn't change one thing of what Rachel has directed is pretty incredible."
Having since re-watched the film five times, Payne says she still gets goosebumps during the Melbourne Cup race scene.
"When they slow it down and she's crossing the line, it takes me back," she says. "It's just an unbelievable feeling."
Reliving her Melbourne Cup success now more than ever as she tours for interviews, screenings and events to promote the film's release, Payne says every moment of the race has been re-etched into her brain.
"Prince and I were just travelling behind the second favourite and there was this split second I thought 'I could win this', I had so much power left and I knew what he was capable of doing," she recalls.
"It was just a moment then when I thought in all the training and the lead-up to the Melbourne Cup, this is where it can be won and lost and keeping composure was the main thing … It's embedded in my brain and I'll never forget it."
Admitting to having felt the pressure of doing Payne's real-life story justice, the racing scenes were some of the most important Griffiths felt she needed to nail.
"This is a Disney princess film until you get in the barriers and from the barriers to the finish line, it's Hacksaw Ridge, you are in a battlefield," Griffiths says.
"It was so important for people to understand the courage of Michelle and the intensity and danger of the environment that she competes in as an athlete."
While the film touches on Payne's personal loss and failures, one of its key themes focuses on life as a woman in a man's world.
Growing up as a female jockey was never easy for Payne and 'Ride Like A Girl' doesn't shy away from the sexism she faced on a daily basis.
Portraying the challenges Payne faced when seeking opportunities as a female in the racing industry, Griffiths says the film is as much about opening the eyes of men than it is about inspiring women.
"We wanted to inspire men to give women opportunities and to become a bit aware of their own 'unconscious bias'," Griffiths says. "Slamming a guy on the cricket pitch for throwing like a girl is a sexist and demeaning thing to say both to the man and to refer to women in a context that we don't do something well.
"You walk in her shoes, you put your thinking, theories and ideas away, and you just experience life in the character's footsteps. That's been very transformative for men who have seen the film."
Admitting there was still a long way to go, Payne says it's been heartwarming to see how her incredible achievement has helped pave the way for women in the sport and hopes the film inspires females in all areas of life.
"For me growing up, I had my older sisters, who were phenomenal role models to me, I wouldn't be sitting here today if it wasn't for them," Payne says. "I wouldn't have been able to get through the tough world without them.
"To be now that person who carries the inspiration to the next generation and be a role model is something I take really seriously.
"Being able to show males in our racing industry in Australia that we can win at the elite level, certainly helped change the mindset of a lot of people ... It hasn't been instant, but the girls who are carrying on with success back home is so good to see because there are so many great female riders.
"If this film can inspire people to stick at it then that's so special for me."
Since the moment she crossed the finish line as the winner of the 2015 Melbourne Cup, life in the fast line hasn't slowed for Payne.
She won "The Don" Award in 2016 for Most Inspirational Australian Athlete from the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and most recently, in 2017, was honoured at the Longines Ladies Award, celebrating women who have consistently achieved at the highest level within the equestrian world.
With 17 years of success behind her, Payne is currently in the process of transitioning from life as a jockey to life as a trainer, although admits it's not been easy keeping herself off the back of a horse.
"I love the industry, I love working with horses, it's not a job for me to get up and go to work every day, I absolutely adore them," says Payne. "I'm training at the moment … that's something that I've always wanted to do, wind down and make that transition from riding into training.
"But it's something hard to just give up. It's something I've dedicated my life to so it's really hard to just walk away."
Payne has high hopes of the horses currently coming through her stables at Nottingham Farm and is looking forward to being part of the upcoming Spring Carnival.
Reluctant to specify exactly when she does see herself hanging up her boots once and for all, Payne says it won't be until she's ticked off a few more dreams in mind.
"Who knows what the future holds," she says. "That's the beauty of racing, anything is possible."
Ride Like A Girl hits New Zealand cinemas today.
American Me, a Canterbury pacer, will be racing at Auckland’s Alexandra Park tonight.