Ride Like a Girl
Teresa Palmer, Sam Neill / 98 minutes / Drama / PG / A L S / In-seat and on the Qantas Entertainment App
The 2015 Melbourne Cup had all the usual trappings – thoroughbreds, crowds and hoopla – but this one would end differently. A young woman would cross the finish line on 100-to-one Prince of Penzance to become the first female jockey to win in the race that stops a nation. Ride Like a Girl tells the story of that jockey, Michelle Payne, and how she achieved her remarkable success. The film begins with her childhood in country Victoria. The youngest of 10 children, Michelle was still a baby when her mother died in a car accident. She is “Little Girl” to her dad, Paddy (Sam Neill), who drills her on past Melbourne Cup winners and the secrets of the track. Seven of her siblings are apprentice jockeys and the feisty youngster yearns to follow in their footsteps. She pursues her dream but hits a brick wall in the male-dominated racing fraternity, which believes that female jockeys lack the physical and mental strength to succeed in the dangerous sport. Teresa Palmer plays the grown-up Michelle to perfection, revealing the determination it took to convince trainers to give her the chance to show them that she had what it takes to win. Not even the tragic death of her sister, Brigid, doing trackwork or the severe head injuries Michelle herself suffered after a fall deter her. This heartwarming film, directed by actor Rachel Griffiths, captures the inspiring tale of an Aussie battler who won’t take no for an answer and defies her doubters in the best way possible.