6 trailblazing women in Australian horse racing share their tips on breaking the glass ceiling

Clare Lindop

As one of the most celebrated women in Australian racing, Clare Lindop became the first woman to win on AAMI Victoria Derby Day in 2008, and has celebrated over a thousand other victories throughout her two-decade long career.

Clare announced her retirement from racing in 2018, 10 years after her big win, and told the Sydney Morning Herald: “As those who know me will attest to, I possess a fierce competitive streak and an unrelenting desire to succeed. To go out on a high would be the ultimate end to my riding career.”

This attitude no doubt helped her rise to the top of a mostly male-dominated industry.

Images: Getty

Gai Waterhouse

Gai Waterhouse’s drive and determination have seen her become one of the most awarded trainers in Australian racing history. Discussing her stellar rise to the top of a male-dominated industry, Gai told The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2018: “It’s tough. But you’ve got to stick to your guns.”

Gai says not even pleas from her father, T.J. Smith, for her to consider a career outside of racing would stop her from achieving her goals. “He said, ‘Gai, it’s a really hard life. I wouldn’t recommend it. I just think there are too many downfalls’,” she told The Weekly. “I think he was hoping I’d get married and then whatever, but I was absolutely hell-bent on it.”

Images: Getty

Michelle Payne

Raised near Ballarat in rural Victoria, Michelle Payne’s relentless dreams of greatness saw her become the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup in 2015. “That was just like a dream come true,” she told The Weekly in September 2019. “It didn’t even feel like real life.”

Michelle’s life story, and the story behind her win, will be documented in the 2019 film Ride Like a Girl, where she’ll be played by Australian actress Teresa Palmer. She told AWW: “Life’s not always easy for anyone, but you’ve got to persist and work through it. I think that’s an important message.”

Read more of Michelle Payne’s story in the September 2019 issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

Amanda Elliott

Elliott famously became the first female chairman of the Victoria Racing Club, making her one of the most powerful women in Australian racing. Her journey to the top marks a major shift from racing’s male-dominated past, considering women were banned from any corporate racing decisions until the early 1980s.

Her advice for success? “My advice for anyone is to believe. Believe in yourself, your ambition, and what it is you want to achieve,” she tells The Weekly. “Recognising and celebrating female accomplishments is essential to encouraging women into leadership roles. This is something that racing has done well in recent times, and I hope to see it continue.”

Images: Getty; Karon Photography

Emma Freedman

Female presenters often face more challenges than their male counterparts, especially in the world of sport. Nevertheless, this couldn’t prevent Fox Sports presenter Emma Freedman from becoming one of the most revered presenters, whenever the Melbourne Cup Carnival rolls around.

Despite hailing from racing royalty (her father, Lee Freedman, is one of Australia’s most famous horse trainers), Emma didn’t have everything handed to her, and had to work hard for her come-up. The 31-year-old told the Herald Sun in 2015: “I can’t help who my dad is. I had to work hard to get those jobs. Wide World of Sports — you can’t just go on there because your surname’s Freedman.”

Images: Getty

Charlotte Littlefield

With her own training ground based on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, British/Australian trainer Charlotte Littlefield is on the fast track to becoming one of Australia’s most revered trainers.

Of her quick rise to the top within the notoriously competitive Australian industry, Littlefield told the Herald Sun in 2019 that “it’s all about keeping the horses happy” to ensure their success.

Images: Getty

Presented by the Victoria Racing Club