Melbourne Cup Day delivered a career-defining moment for Jamie Melham, but it also came with a costly consequence after the star jockey was handed a 30-meeting suspension for careless riding later in the program.

The penalty stems from an incident in the race immediately following Melham’s famous Melbourne Cup triumph on Half Yours, when rival rider Blake Shinn fell from She’s Got Pizzazz.

Melham was aboard the Michael Hickmott-trained Fancify, who finished eighth in the Group 3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes on the day.

Shinn suffered a broken leg in the fall and was unable to provide evidence at the time, prompting Racing Victoria stewards to reconvene the inquiry before Wednesday’s Caulfield meeting, where Melham pleaded guilty to a careless riding charge.

According to the stewards’ report: “Rider Jamie Melham pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding under the provisions of AR 131(a) in that near the 200m she permitted her mount to shift out when not sufficiently clear of She’s Got Pizzazz that was bumped and stumbled, resulting in rider Blake Shinn being dislodged.”

“Jamie Melham had her licence suspended for 30 race meetings with the period to commence on Sunday 16 November 2025 and expire on Wednesday 17 December 2025.”

“In assessing penalty, account was taken of her guilty plea, good record and that it was a Group 3 event and the incident resulted in a rider being dislodged.”

Melham’s suspension will take effect after Saturday’s CF Orr Stakes meeting at Caulfield, where she is booked for eight rides, including Evaporate in the $1 million feature event.

The decision caps a bittersweet end to a dream Spring Carnival for Melham, who made history as the first female jockey to complete the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup double aboard the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Half Yours.

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