A week ago, Jamie Melham was on top of the world. Now she’s been banned for a month

Celebrated jockey Jamie Melham has been suspended for a month for her part in a Melbourne Cup day fall that left fellow rider Blake Shinn with a broken leg.

Melham pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes at Flemington after her horse Fancify bumped into Shinn’s mount She’s Got Pizzazz and caused it to stumble.

Shinn came crashing to the turf about 200 metres from the finish line in the ninth race of the day and, after being tended to by on-course medics for 20 minutes, was taken to hospital for surgery on a broken tibia and fibula.

The fall happened just two races after Melham made history as the first female jockey to win the Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double.

Her suspension will start this Sunday and run until Thursday, December 18. She will be allowed to ride in Saturday’s group 1 Orr Stakes meeting at Caulfield.

During the post-race Melbourne Cup celebrations an elated Melham was in high demand.

She was required to speak to multiple television crews and media outlets as well as taking part in mounting yard presentations with victorious trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy.

She had two rides after the Cup, which is race seven, finishing eighth in race eight and eighth in race nine. Melham did not have a ride in the 10th and final race of the day.

Her Melbourne Cup-winning ride on Half Yours was celebrated for its courage and timing.

She bumped husband Ben Melham’s horse Smokin’ Romans to the side and weaved her way through several tight gaps in the home straight before winning by more than two lengths.

“When you are on a horse you trust 100 per cent, you are confident to take those gaps,” Melham said.

“I wouldn’t do that on just any horse. I would only do that and take those sorts of runs on a horse such as Half Yours.”

Racing Victoria stewards interviewed Melham on Melbourne Cup day but adjourned the inquiry until this week.

They found Melham had allowed her horse Fancify to shift out when not sufficiently clear, causing interference to She’s Got Pizzazz.

Melham declined to discuss the incident when approached by this masthead the day after the Melbourne Cup.

Shinn posted a message on X on the night of the fall, saying: “Thank you all for your kind messages after my fall. I’ve broken my leg and will be sidelined for a bit, but I’m very grateful that She’s Got Pizzazz is okay.”

She’s Got Pizzazz, trained by Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman, was found to be lame in the off foreleg after the race and will need a veterinary clearance before being allowed to race again.

Melham was suspended for three weeks on the eve of last year’s spring carnival after being found guilty by the Victorian Racing Tribunal for failing to give her horse, Let’sfacethemusic, every chance to win or run a place in a group 3 race at Caulfield.

The tribunal found that Melham should have taken a gap between two horses in the home straight to improve her chances of winning the McNeil Stakes.

Melham pleaded not guilty to the charge, telling the tribunal that Let’sfacethemusic was a difficult horse to manage, the horses in front of her were shifting around, and the wind gusts were so strong they shook TV cameras.

‘Racing back and thriving’

The Victoria Racing Club said 286,746 people attended this year’s Melbourne Cup week carnival – the largest crowd to have flocked to Flemington since 2018.

The VRC said more than half of general admission tickets were sold to people under the age of 35, a 17 per cent increase on last year.

TV audiences were also up. More than 2 million people watched the Melbourne Cup, while 5.5 million Australians tuned into Nine’s coverage across Melbourne Cup week.

“The success of the 2025 Melbourne Cup Carnival has emphatically demonstrated that racing is back and thriving,” VRC CEO Kylie Rogers said.

“With our largest crowd since 2018, record-breaking wagering turnover on Lexus Melbourne Cup Day, and significant uplift in broadcast figures, the momentum and energy throughout the week was infectious.”

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.