Racing: Stud toasts giant-killing prince

Michelle Payne rides Prince of Penzance into Melbourne Cup history as the first female jockey to win the race. Photo / Getty Images

Rich Hill celebrates dream result in Melbourne Cup

The champagne was flowing at Waikato's Rich Hill Stud with a Group One celebration to toast their major role in a history-making Melbourne Cup result.

Their giant-killing farm graduate Prince Of Penzance repelled the international challenge with rider Michelle Payne becoming the first woman to win the Flemington feature.

Rich Hill principal John Thompson said it was a dream result for the stud and his family, staff, clients and supporters. "The place just went berserk, it's a huge thrill and not only for us but also for the New Zealand thoroughbred industry."

The 13th individual Group One winner for Rich Hill's foundation stallion Pentire, Prince Of Penzance was bred by the farm with Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm, Japan.

"We established a breeding partnership with them when we got Jungle Pocket here," Thompson said.

"I went to Japan to look at a number of mares that came back to Rich Hill. When Jungle Pocket couldn't come back here because of the EI [equine influenza] outbreak, I suggested to Mr Yoshida that Royal Successor should go to Pentire and he agreed."

The resulting foal was Prince of Penzance, who was subsequently put through Rich Hill's 2011 Premier Sale draft at Karaka and he was knocked down to the $50,000 bid of the respected Queensland bloodstock agent John Foote.

"He's out of a Mr Prospector mare, Royal Successor, and we'll be selling a brother to Prince Of Penzance at Karaka next year, so we couldn't possibly have wished for a better result," Thompson said.

A confused murmur replaced the usual loud cheers at the end of the Melbourne Cup as baffled Sydney punters searched for their horse's name on the television screens.

Hardly any of the 23,000 Randwick racegoers backed Prince Of Penzance and it didn't take long before the first pangs of financial loss took hold.

Punter Chris Williams lost $7000 backing Trip To Paris. "I was very upset with the loss. It was actually a shock to me," he said.

The $5 favourite Fame Game from Japan was a long way back and made up a few places to finish 13th.

Tim Wedd was scratching his head about his pick, Who Shot Thebarman.

"I'm still looking for the barman," he said. "You've got to find the guy who shot him," said a friend.

Kerrin McEvoy was so busy riding Excess Knowledge out to the finish line it wasn't until he pulled up that he realised his sister-in-law had won the Melbourne Cup.

McEvoy, who is married to Payne's sister Cathy, won the Cup on Brew 15 years ago and said he couldn't be happier for Michelle.

Popular English stayer Red Cadeaux will undergo surgery after suffering a leg injury during his fifth attempt at the Melbourne Cup.

The Ed Dunlop-trained gelding, who has been runner-up in Australia's most famous race three times, injured a fetlock and failed to finish.

Roughies to win the Melbourne Cup

• 100-1 Prince Of Penzance (2015), Old Rowley (1940), Wotan (1936), The Pearl (1871)
• 80-1 Rimfire (1948)
• 50-1 Hi Jinx (1960), Glenloth (1892), Zulu (1881)
• 40-1 Piping Lane (1972), Tarcoola (1893).

What the jockeys said...

Michelle Payne (Prince Of Penzance) 1st:
"Unbelievable. I was lying in bed last night and gave myself a chance to think and dream about it, and thought about it as if I was being interviewed after the race. It's like a dream come true. It was just unbelievable."

Frankie Dettori (Max Dynamite) 2nd:
"It was a bit unfortunate that I couldn't get the split when I wanted but that's racing."

Michael Walker (Criterion) 3rd:
"Great run. Probably should've been a different result. I had the best run where I wanted to be; clocked off well (in the run) and I got really confident with a mile to go. All I needed was an out and I thought I could win. I just had to wait for the last furlong and the others flashed by. I would've been in it had I got out at the top of the straight."

Tommy Berry (Trip To Paris) 4th:
"The slow tempo mid-race didn't suit him. I thought I was the winner at the top of the straight but he didn't show the same turn-of-foot as he did in the Caulfield Cup."

Jamie Spencer (Big Orange) 5th:
"A good run. The draw made it difficult and I felt the track was a little bit dead for my horse."

Chad Schofield (Gust Of Wind) 6th:
"She travelled well and hit the line very strongly."

Kerrin McEvoy (Excess Knowledge) 7th:
"He ran great. We got into a nice spot. He just levelled out the last part."

Damien Oliver (The Offer) 8th:
"He ran super. If it had been wet, he'd have been right in it."

Damian Lane (Quest For More) 9th:
"Super run. A bit more room in the straight and he finishes closer."

Ben Melham (Our Ivanhowe) 10th:
"He got into a great spot and a run opened up for him on the fence. The run then closed and he wasn't sharp enough in the finish."

Blake Shinn (Who Shot Thebarman) 11th:
"He ran well, the pace just didn't suit him. They went slow and it was a sprint home."

- AAP