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Making her Melbourne Cup debut, 31-year-old jockey Kathy O’Hara will become the sixth woman ever to take part in the prestigious race.
Her horse, Single Gaze, weighs in at just 430kg, making it the smallest horse in the field, The Age reports.
But just two and a half weeks ago, Single Gaze took home second place in the $3 million Caulfield Cup.
“I think she’s got a really good chance. She’s always been underestimated by bookmakers and backers and what have you, but that’s just how she is,” O’Hara said of the odds this year.
She added: “It’s probably because she’s a country trained horse, ridden by me. We’re not probably the most fashionable combination in the race so that makes us the underdogs really.”
The jockey and horse suffered a horrific fall on Oaks day in April last year, which left O’Hara with a broken collarbone and ribs, while Single Gaze was left bruised. But O’Hara was back training just six weeks later.
In 2015, Michelle Payne became the first ever woman to win the Melbourne Cup on Prince Of Penzance. The win was a big inspiration for O’Hara.
“Michelle’s win did inspire me because it showed if there are things that you want, if you keep working hard you can achieve them,’’ she told The Daily Telegraph.
“I’m not nervous about riding in the Melbourne Cup, I’m just excited to have this opportunity. It is every jockey’s dream to ride in a Melbourne Cup.”
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