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When the Melbourne Cup jumps at Flemington today, one jockey will be more fearless than most, having already overcome serious adversity to take her place in Australia's premier race.
Celine Gaudray is a talented Australian jockey who began her riding career as an apprentice in Victoria under the guidance of renowned trainers including James Cummings and Anthony and Sam Freedman.
She has recorded multiple Group and Listed race victories, including the Group 2 Zipping Classic aboard Vow And Declare in 2023.
Her rise through the ranks has made her one of the most promising young riders in Australian racing, regularly featuring among Victoria's leading apprentices.
Gaudray has been rewarded for her efforts with a ride on Torranzino in the Melbourne Cup, but it was almost over before it even began.
In just her fourth ride, Celine Gaudray suffered a fractured back and a knee injury when she fell from Midas Man on the dirt track at Pakenham.
Celine Gaudray prepares to ride in the Melbourne Cup, just years after breaking her spine in a horror fall
Gaudray defied medical odds, returning to racing three months after fracturing her back and knee in a Pakenham fall
After three months of recovery, she returned to racing and her comeback was rewarded when she claimed her first victory aboard the Carey-trained Tippitywichit at Traralgon.
'I had a rough start to my apprenticeship. I had quite a few injuries at track work. Pat had a few scary horses and I would hold on for dear life,' Gaudray said.
'During that [fourth] race I fractured my back and my knee but before that I did my foot, my knee, my wrist, my coccyx, the list goes on.'
It never deterred Gaudray, who said her will to win trumped any doubts those injuries planted in her mind.
'I am super, super competitive. I love winning, I just love going out there and giving my horse every chance to win the race,' she said.
Now Gaudray will become just the 11th woman to ride in the Cup in its 164-year history.
And trainer Pat Carey said he always knew she had what it took to cut it at the elite level.
'From the time she started to ride she had polish, she was a good rider. She had to learn about racing,' Carey said.
Three months after her accident, Gaudray rode Tippitywichit to victory, marking a powerful start to her racing redemption
With Torranzino beneath her, Gaudray will become just the 11th woman in history to ride in the Melbourne Cup
'She did not have the racing smarts, but she was a natural for the competition, and she had great style, and she knew horses well.
'[She is a] natural lightweight, incredible balance and acrobatic ability, [on the] trampoline, [doing] somersaults and tumbles and very good core strength.'
Torranzino will line up in the 2025 Melbourne Cup as one of the more intriguing outsiders, carrying 51 kilograms and jumping from barrier 18.
The six-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding, trained by Paul Preusker, has built a consistent record with six wins and seven placings from 33 starts.
His most recent victory in the Group 3 Geelong Cup earned him a guaranteed place in the Cup field, showcasing his sharp turn of foot and ability to stay the trip over 2400 metres.
Before that, he ran second in the Bart Cummings Stakes, further strengthening his credentials for a longer test.
Torranzino has shown versatility on both firm and soft tracks, an asset given the unpredictable weather forecast for Cup Day.
The major question is whether he can extend his stamina to the gruelling 3200 metres, a distance he has never tackled before.
His wide draw in barrier 18 adds another challenge, with only two winners in Cup history emerging from that gate, though Verry Elleegant famously broke that trend in 2021.
The light weight could offset that disadvantage, allowing him to settle midfield before making a late move.
