Historic Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Jamie Melham has been suspended for 30 race meetings following an incident on Cup day that left fellow rider Blake Shinn with a broken leg.
Melham made history as just the second woman to win the Melbourne Cup, guiding Half Yours to victory at Flemington and becoming the first female jockey to claim both the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups.
However, only two races later she was involved in a serious fall during the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes while riding Fancify. Her move near the 200-metre mark caused interference to She’s Got Pizzazz, ridden by Shinn, who was thrown from his mount.
Shinn, who won the 2008 Melbourne Cup on Viewed, was treated on the track before being taken to hospital, where scans confirmed fractures to his left tibia and fibula. He has since undergone surgery and is expected to spend a lengthy period recovering.
A post-race veterinary examination found She’s Got Pizzazz lame in the off-foreleg.
Racing Victoria stewards conducted an inquiry and found Melham guilty of careless riding under AR 131(a). “Rider Jamie Melham (Fancify) pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding… in that near the 200m, she permitted her mount to shift out when not sufficiently clear of She’s Got Pizzazz,” the stewards’ report stated.
Melham’s licence was suspended for 30 race meetings, beginning on Sunday, November 16, and ending on Wednesday, December 17.
In determining the penalty, stewards noted her guilty plea, previous good record, the Group 3 status of the race and the seriousness of a rider’s fall.
Before serving her suspension, Melham is expected to fulfil her remaining rides at Caulfield on Saturday, including aboard the Chris Waller-trained Pictor in the Sandown Guineas. She will be free to return to competition on December 18.
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