A decade after her dramatic launch into fame, celebrated jockey Michelle Payne reflects on what she's learned about love, loss, courage and kindness.
The Melbourne Cup: the most prestigious horse race in Australia and never won by a female jockey—until 2015.
When Michelle Payne swept past the post, she made history and galloped straight into our hearts. Yet what came next for Michelle was an even wilder ride: a whirlwind of international celebrity that drove her to breaking point, a second catastrophic race fall and a gruelling road to recovery.
Ten years later, Ride On reveals how Michelle found the courage, resilience and determination to keep fighting and triumphing in the face of extraordinary adversity and pain, the perspective that allowed her to dig deeper and reach further than she'd ever thought possible and the wisdom that can help anyone searching for hope and the power to overcome.
This raw and remarkable story of a life lived against the odds showcases timeless truths: lessons of love and loss, hope through heartbreak, healing kindness, the power of patience and finding the strength—no matter what—to rise up and ride on.
About the Author
Michelle Payne began training as a jockey and won her first race in Ballarat aged fifteen. Over her career, she recovered from catastrophic accidents and persevered to ride over 700 winners, including 5 Group One wins. In 2015, she became the first female jockey to win Australia's most prestigious horse race, the Melbourne Cup. Since then, Michelle has received many distinguished awards, including the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Don Award, the International Longines Ladies Award and the Order of Australia medal (OAM). In 2016 Michelle published a book with John Harms called Life As I Know It, and in 2019 a feature film was released called Ride Like a Girl, which is based on her life story. Michelle was one of the few to hold a dual jockeytrainer licence, but from early 2024 she turned her full focus to training. She is an inspiration to the next generation of females in sport.
Industry Reviews
'It's been a decade since that magical Tuesday in November when Michelle rewrote Australian sporting history. We watched her deal with that glaring spotlight – and in these pages we gain an understanding of how Michelle approached a subsequent barrage of challenges with her trademark courage. Standing together, the Payne family are precious to each other and to Australian racing. But we honour Michelle particularly for that 2015 Cup ride which has become a benchmark and inspiration for a host of female jockeys who've followed in her wake.' - BRUCE McAVANEY
'Ten years after Michelle's win, Ride On works through the life one builds after holding your dreams in your hand—from triumph to tragedy and back to the kind of triumph we can all relate to: enduring, growing and living.' - RACHEL GRIFFITHS
'When I stepped into Michelle Payne's world for Ride Like a Girl, I caught a glimpse of her courage and grit. But Ride On takes you beyond the finish line into the storms she's faced, the falls she's endured and the quiet strength it takes to rise again. It's raw, inspiring, heartfelt and a powerful reminder that resilience is in the breath you take before you try again.' - TERESA PALMER
