The jockey Michelle Payne struck a major blow for gender equality in sport when she became the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s biggest horse race, on Prince of Penzance. “It’s such a chauvinistic sport, a lot of the owners wanted to kick me off. Everyone else can get stuffed [who] think women aren’t good enough,” said Payne, 30, only the fourth woman jockey to ride in the Cup’s 155-year history. In the US, meanwhile, a lucrative stud farm retirement and a bountiful supply of sugar lumps await American Pharoah, the US Triple Crown-winner who bowed out of racing with victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in Kentucky. “What a horse, the kindest, friendliest, happiest, easiest, most brilliant horse I have ever seen in my life,” said Ahmed Zayat, American Pharoah’s owner.
Royals take World Series
There really was no place like Kansas (City), for a few days this week anyway, after the Royals beat the New York Mets 7-2 in game five of baseball’s World Series to take the best-of-seven championship 4-1. For the Royals, fielding a largely homegrown lineup, victory was redemptive after narrowly missing out last season to San Francisco: “Kansas City is No 1. Who cares about what happened last year?” summed it up for the Royals’ catcher and series’ most valuable player, Salvador Pérez. The Mets, meanwhile, continue their quest for a first World Series win since 1986.
England pip Kiwis in league
New Zealand sides are not entirely invincible with the oval ball, as England showed in the first of three rugby league Test matches. The home side beat the world No 1 ranked Kiwis 26-12 in Hull, inspired by an outstanding performance from prop Tom Burgess. “He was incredible tonight, he should be one of the stories of the game,” England coach Steve McNamara enthused. Sadly, though, Burgess is not even the main story in his own family, as his older brother Sam continues to be linked with a return to the 13-a-side code after a fruitless dalliance with England’s union side.
Mexico GP goes to Rosberg
Nico Rosberg finally put one over his Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton by winning the Mexican Grand Prix, the only minor blemish being, of course, that the Briton had already won the F1 drivers’ championship the previous week. Even so, the notoriously prickly drivers were on unusually chummy form: “It’s an amazing day, it was a great battle with Lewis, who drove really well,” said Rosberg. “Nico drove a fantastic race,” gushed Hamilton in response. Former F1 driver Mark Webber, meanwhile, closed in on the FIA World Endurance Championship - of which the Le Mans 24 Hours race is the centrepiece - with victory for Porsche in the penultimate race of the season in Shanghai.
Radwanska takes WTA final
Agnieszka Radwanska claimed a debut triumph in the season-ending WTA tennis finals in Singapore, the Pole defeating the favourite Petra Kvitova 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. “It means everything to me, in my first final, I get my first win so it couldn’t be any better,” said Radwanska, who also claimed the dubious distinction of being the first woman to win the tournament after having lost two games in the round-robin stage. On the men’s ATP tour, Roger Federer delighted his home fans by winning the Swiss Indoor title for the seventh time, beating Rafael Nadal 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in what was, remarkably, the first time the two old foes had played one another in Switzerland.
