"To think that Darren Weir has given me a go and it's such a chauvinistic sport, I know some of the owners were keen to kick me off, and John Richards and Darren stuck strongly with me, and I put in all the effort I could and galloped him all I could because I thought he had what it takes to win the Melbourne Cup and I can't say how grateful I am to them," Payne told Channel Seven after the race. "I want to say to everyone else, get stuffed, because women can do anything and we can beat the world.

Michelle Payne described horse racing as a "chauvinistic" sport. Credit:Joe Armao

"This is everybody's dream as a jockey in Australia and now probably the world. And I dreamt about it from when I was five years old and there is an interview from my school friends, they were teasing me about, when I was about seven, and I said, "I'm going to win the Melbourne Cup" and they always give me a bit of grief about it and I can't believe we've done it.

"I was lying in bed last night and I thought about what it would be like if I was talking to you after this race.

"When I wanted this horse as a three-year-old, he won here and I thought this is a Melbourne Cup horse and he just felt like he would run the two mile out that strong but far out, I didn't think he'd be that strong. He was still towing me into the straight. He just burst to the front and he was powering through, it's just unbelievable."