Sister and brother are winners

from w
In the Warrnambool Standard newspaper is the story of the joy of one family, particularly a sister and brother and the win at today's Melbourne Cup.

Michelle Payne celebrates her winning ride with brother and strapper Stephen Payne. 

Fairytales happen.

On a perfect day, a bit of a breeze cooling a roiling crowd, Michelle Payne, a young woman who has had to shoulder her elegant way through what has long been a man's game, took Prince of Penzance to the front in the main straight and stayed there - the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.

She had dreamt about it since she was five. And at 30, she had done it. Here was a horse trained in Ballarat, and conditioned swimming in the sea at Warrnambool, 100-1 at the jump, leaving behind all the fancied internationals and all the favourites.

And here, down on the fence, Prince of Penzance's strapper, Steven Payne, the man with Down syndrome, Michelle's brother - there are 10 Payne kids - fairly leaping in the excitement of triumph.

"She'll be in front with 200 metres to go, hopefully," Steven had predicted, trying not to get ahead of himself. And there it was - all hopes and predictions more than fulfilled, whatever the doubts of the bookies and the punters. He could barely speak. The grin, the leap into the air. It said it all.