From dizzying highs to controversial lows, Melbourne Cup winner Jamie Melham has had an extraordinary career
Jamie Melham's career in pictures
She will forever go down in history as one of the true trailblazers of women's sport in Australia.
From her early days in South Australia to a superstar rise in Victoria and some controversial moments along the way, Jamie Melham - nee Kah - cemented her legacy over the past few weeks.
On board Half Yours, she became the first female jockey to win the Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double and only the second woman to win Australia's most iconic race, 10 years after Michelle Payne did it with Prince Of Penzance.
Wide World of Sports looks back at Melham's rise to the top of racing.
Daughter of Olympians chooses the saddle
The daughter of former Olympic speed skaters John and Karen Kah, she started attending regular lessons at a local equestrian centre from the age of eight.
After leaving school at the age of 15, she started her riding apprenticeship in 2011 and had her first official race in March.
Melham's first winner came on an Easter Saturday meeting in Clare - a small town in South Australia with an estimated population of 3160 people - just a fortnight into her career.
Less than a year later, the young Adelaide product found herself competing at some of the biggest tracks in the country, including Flemington.
In her first full season in 2012/13, she took out the Adelaide Jockeys' Premiership - something she would achieve on three occasions before relocating to Victoria in 2019.
First Group 1 win
Melham rode her first Group 1 winner on board English-bred horse Harlem in the 2019 Australian Cup.
It was Harlem's second-straight win in the storied Flemington race.
Emotions set in
Godolphin runner Avilius started as the short-priced favourite for the race, but it came down to Harlem and Shillelagh.
Melham's ride got her horse over the line and she couldn't hide her emotions.
"I came over here [to Melbourne] for these opportunities and I didn't expect it this soon," she said post-race.
High praise
Following the breakthrough G1 victory, Melham received high praise from Harlem's co-trainer David Hayes.
"It was a great ride from Jamie ... it was a huge thrill," he said.
Melbourne rise continues
Melham's first year riding under the proverbial bright lights in Melbourne didn't seem to faze her too much.
At the start of the 2019 spring carnival, she rode Gatting to victory in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington.
Girls' day out
In the background of this shot, the Flemington entry gate has a sign that reads "girls' day out" and that was exactly the case for Melham as she posed with the trophy.
12-month wait
Melham had to wait more than a year for her next Group 1 triumph in the midst of the COVID dramas that swept the globe.
She rode Mr Quickie to victory in the 2020 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield.
Top of the world
While it was more than 12 months between Group 1 winners, her name was gathering steam in the sport.
By the 2020 spring carnival, Melham had cemented herself as the top-ranked female jockey in the world and was also ranked 77th overall.
Those stocks only rose further by February 2021, when she moved up to 44th in the world rankings and was the only female rider in the top 100.
World's best sprinter
Melham's continued rise saw her start to get booked on high-profile horses.
One of the biggest at the time came on Chris Waller's champion sprinter Nature Strip, who she rode to win the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning in February 2021.
