Ride on - by Michelle Payne (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A decade after her dramatic launch into fame, celebrated jockey Michelle Payne reflects on what she's learned about love, loss, courage and kindness.

The Melbourne Cup: the most prestigious horse race in Australia and never won by a female jockey-until 2015.

When Michelle Payne swept across the finish line, she made history and galloped straight into our hearts. Yet what came next for Michelle was an even wilder ride: a whirlwind of international celebrity that drove her to breaking point, a second catastrophic race fall and an excruciating fight to walk again.

Ten years later, Ride On reveals exactly what empowered Michelle's trailblazing win and her following triumphs in the face of extraordinary adversity and pain-the experiences, perspective and discipline that helped her dig deeper and reach further than she'd ever thought possible.

Taking us on an inspirational journey, Michelle shares how she found the courage, resilience and work ethic to keep fighting and winning; how horses helped her heal; and how kindness helped her survive the devastating deaths of her mother, brother and two sisters.

From childhood dream to dazzling success, this book takes us behind the glamour to encounter the raw, poignant and astounding story of a life lived against the odds: lessons of love and loss, hope and happiness, patience over power and finding the will-no matter what-to ride on.

'It's been a decade since that magical Tuesday in November when Michelle rewrote Australian sporting history. We watched her deal with that glaring spotlight - and in these pages we gain an understanding of how Michelle approached a subsequent barrage of challenges with her trademark courage. Standing together, the Payne family are precious to each other and to Australian racing. But we honor Michelle particularly for that 2015 Cup ride which has become a benchmark and inspiration for a host of female jockeys who've followed in her wake.' Bruce McAvaney

About the Author

Michelle Payne began training as a jockey and won her first race in Ballarat aged fifteen. Over her career, she recovered from catastrophic accidents and persevered to ride over 700 winners, including 5 Group One wins. In 2015, she became the first female jockey to win Australia's most prestigious horse race, the Melbourne Cup. Since then, Michelle has received many distinguished awards, including the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Don Award, the International Longines Ladies Award and the Order of Australia medal (OAM). In 2016 Michelle published a book with John Harms called Life As I Know It, and in 2019 a feature film was released called Ride Like a Girl, which is based on her life story. Michelle was one of the few to hold a dual jockey-trainer license, but from early 2024 she turned her full focus to training. She is an inspiration to the next generation of females in sport.

Angus Fontaine has been a journalist, editor and publisher across newspapers, magazines and books for 30 years. An award-winning feature writer, he lives in Sydney where he lectures at UTS and covers all manner of sport for The Guardian, while also storytelling for titles internationally.