Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Jamie Melham has been handed a 30-meeting ban following an incident that left fellow rider Blake Shinn with a broken leg. The 29-year-old, who became the second female jockey to win the 'race that stops a nation' at Flemington earlier this month, admitted to careless riding.
Melham made history as the first woman to complete the 'Cups Double', having also won the Caulfield Cup on Half Yours. However, two races after her Melbourne Cup triumph, champion jockey Blake Shinn was rushed to hospital with a suspected broken leg after a heavy fall.
Shinn was riding She's Got Pizzazz when they became boxed in with a furlong left to run. He was thrown off and appeared to be trampled by trailing horses. Shinn has since undergone surgery on his left leg.
Stewards charged Melham after her horse Fancify veered out when not sufficiently clear of She's Got Pizzazz, who stumbled after being squeezed for room. Melham admitted the offence and accepted the ban, which will commence after she rides at Caulfield on Saturday. She will be permitted to ride again from 18 December.
