Historic Cup triumph won't change Payne

Michelle Payne has vowed never to change after becoming the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.

Payne, who is the youngest of 10 children in a family that is entrenched in racing, made international headlines when she piloted the rank outsider to victory in the 155th edition of the race.She told the chauvinists in the sport to ‘get stuffed’ in the wake of the triumph, but was a little more diplomatic when she surfaced from a night celebrating with connections."I want to be a great ambassador for my sport because everyone loves to focus on the bad things and it takes away from all the good things," she told Today."In racing, it doesn’t matter if you've got a lot of money or you buy a cheap horse, you still have the chance to be a champion… dreams do come true and… this is an absolute fairytale."Payne shared the win with her whole family, including her brother Stevie, who works as a strapper at trainer Darren Weir's Ballarat stable and was centre stage as one of two handlers for Prince Of Penzance at Flemington."I'll never forget that moment of seeing him when I came back in… he was a bit emotional and I’ve never seen him like that before."I just hope it sends a message to people about Down Syndrome because they are normal and they can be so capable in so many ways. Stevie is so smart."She said her mother died when she just six months old and says her brother was the gift that kept her father going. “He just said when something bad happens, something good is around the corner and I believe Stevie was given to us because of what happened to my mum. He lives with my dad now and he keeps my dad going I’m sure and he’s just an absolute blessing to our family.”

Payne always thought she would retire if she won a Melbourne Cup, but that plan has been well and truly shelved.

"I'm going to be in the game forever. It's what I love. It's my passion. It's an amazing industry,” she said yesterday.

Weir, Payne and 100-1 outsider Prince Of Penzance were up against sheiks and European racing royalty.

"You don't need to have all the money in the world to win the greatest race in Australia and nearly the world," Payne said.

"This horse is $50,000 and he won a $6 million race."

Weir failed to turn up for a series of interviews this morning after pledging a wild night of celebrations.

"I saw him at about midnight last night and I didn’t think he would be here," Payne confessed.

It was a dream come true for Prince Of Penzance's owners, led by Sandy McGregor and John Richards, and a syndicate of more than 50.

Richards also took out the final race at Flemington with Scarlet Billows.