<h2>Melham Becomes First Woman to Complete Caulfield/Melbourne Cup Double – Trifecta Summary:</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>- &nbsp; Jamie Melham has become the first woman to complete the Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double, steering Half Yours to victory at Flemington.</p> <p>- &nbsp; Half Yours finished ahead of Goodie Two Shoes and Middle Earth in the 2025 Melbourne Cup field.</p> <p>- &nbsp; The historic triumph comes exactly 10 years after Michelle Payne became the first female jockey to win Australia's greatest race.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Historic Melbourne Cup 2025 Victory</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Melbourne Cup 2025 delivered a fairytale finish as Jamie Melham became the first jockey to complete the rare Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double.</p> <p>Riding Half Yours with precision through the field, Melham's triumph came exactly a decade after Michelle Payne broke barriers by becoming the first woman to win the race that stops the nation.</p> <p>Half Yours, trained by the father-son combination of Tony and Calvin McEvoy, started as one of the favourites before French galloper Presage Nocturne took over market leadership 30 minutes before the jump.</p> <p>The Australian-trained gelding vindicated early support by delivering a powerful finish along the inside rail.</p> <p>"This is what we dream of when we first get our jockey license," Melham said post-race. "You want to ride in the Melbourne Cup, let alone win the Melbourne Cup."</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Melbourne Cup Results and Betting Returns</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Melbourne Cup field of 24 runners produced excellent value for punters backing the winner.</p> <p>The full Melbourne Cup finishing order saw Goodie Two Shoes claim second place, trained by master Irish conditioner Joseph O'Brien. Ciaron Maher's Middle Earth rounded out the trifecta in third, while River of Stars finished fourth.</p> <p>Pre-race favourite Presage Nocturne, who attracted significant late betting support, finished a disappointing 19th in the field.</p> <p>Irish import Al Riffa, who had been heavily backed throughout the week and attracted a massive $500,000 wager, could only manage seventh place.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Racing History at Flemington</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Half Yours joins elite company as just the 13th horse to complete the Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double, matching the feat last achieved by Without A Fight in 2023.</p> <p>The victory was particularly poignant for Melham, who had finished third in last year's Melbourne Cup aboard Okita Soushi.</p> <p>The race was run on a Soft 5 track despite more than 30mm of rain falling on Melbourne in the previous 24 hours. Track conditions held up well throughout the day, with Flemington's drainage system proving effective once again.</p> <p>Melham's husband Ben also participated in the race, finishing 14th on Smokin' Romans, making it a memorable Cup Day for the family.</p> <p>The jockey praised the support she'd received throughout her career and acknowledged the significance of following in Michelle Payne's footsteps.</p> <p>With first prize money and the prestige of Melbourne Cup victory secured, Half Yours has cemented his place in Australian racing history while Melham joins the exclusive club of female Melbourne Cup-winning jockeys.</p>