“Don’t get beat, I’ve got my money on you,” said Stevie Payne to his sister, Michelle, as Prince Of Penzance headed out onto the track. He’d had his $10 each-way on, and while many having a punt had done so for sentimental reasons, for Stevie it was a matter of confidence. “He will go close,” he’d been telling all who’d asked about Prince Of Penzance’s chances.
Spending the day loyally at the horse’s stall, Stevie was excited but still composed, his calm aura no doubt rubbing off on Prince Of Penzance. “Prince Of Penzance can get a bit flighty pre-race,” said owner Sam Brown, “but with Stevie on Cup day he was so relaxed, I couldn’t believe it.”
As the horses entered the mounting yard, Stevie was deep in concentration, holding onto one side of the horse, with Maddie Raymond on the other. He was not too serious, though – as photographers zoomed in he smiled and waved. Watching from the mounting yard, Stevie had two reasons to cheer: for the horse, for Michelle.
As is the case when things that seem too good to be true actually do eventuate, Stevie was in shock when Prince Of Penzance crossed the line, grabbing onto Maddie and refusing to let go. Channel 7’s Neil Kearney grabbed a quick interview – “Stevie Payne, you’re the man of the moment.”
“A great moment, a great win, a great ride, 10 out of 10,” Stevie enthused, thumbs up to the camera. Not needing much coaxing to head out to the famous rose-lined path to grab the horse’s reins, Stevie was beaming.
Photographs of those moments provided some of the day’s most endearing images and instant celebrity status was endowed upon Stevie, his hand grabbed in celebration by racegoers leaning over the fence, keen to give him a high five and have a selfie taken with him.
Michelle dismounted from the horse into Stevie’s arms. It was a tight embrace. While not Prince Of Penzance’s usual strapper, Stevie was part of the Melbourne Cup action from the previous weekend. So many enjoyed that historic moment where he drew just the right gate at the barrier draw.
“Stevie won us the Melbourne Cup,” Sandy McGregor would go on to say, still ruing the much trickier gate 15 his fourth-placed Signoff had drawn in 2014. “I should have got Stevie to draw it last year!”
“I remember watching the barrier draw in the nursery car park on a phone,” Brown recalled. “Stevie waltzed up and went bang, picking barrier one. I had tingles down my spine and a tear in my eye. That was truly a special moment, one at the time I did not think could get topped!”
It was the wish of the stable and Prince Of Penzance’s owners that Stevie be involved on Cup day, this texting session between Darren Lonsdale’s daughter Emily and Michelle Payne taking place on 27 October, a week before the big day.
Emily: could we make a special request and have two strappers on Melbourne Cup day … we want to add Stevie to our team because he always seems to have the luck.
Michelle: haha I was already thinking that actually. I’ll ask Darren and see what he says.
Michelle: spoke to Darren, he said that would be okay. Sandy had one request that Stevie picks the barrier.
Emily: haha. He might pick the perfect barrier for us.
“I was rapt when I heard that Stevie was strapping the horse with Maddie,” said Brown. “I know he is a good luck charm around the stable. He has strapped a few Group One winners and the horses love him.
“All the owners admire Stevie. He is always smiling and just speaks what he thinks. What a legend.”
Stevie began working at the Darren Weir stables, on the request of his father Paddy, around a decade ago. His boss is by no means an easy marker but he has plenty of respect for hardworking employees, of which Stevie is one.
“No job is too big or small for him,” he said. “Whether it is cleaning out a stall or fetching hay he is happy to do it. He never misses a day. He is happy around horses and they respond to him. He’s a little beauty.”
“Stevie has been working with Darren for as long as we have been with the stable,” said Prince Of Penzance owner Andrew Wilson. “He is extremely hardworking, and whatever job he is given to do he just does it without questions or complaints. He is great with the owners, has a unique sense of humour and has embraced his celebrity status since the Cup.”
This is an extract from the book Prince of Penzance: The Extraordinary 2015 Melbourne Cup by Kristen Manning, published by Melbourne Books