Lucky for us, someone decided to do a screenplay about one of Australiaâs most famous horse racing families â the Paynes. The father, Paddie Payne, played by that winsome Sam Neill, is a horse trainer. Eight of his ten children were/are jockeys. The youngest, Michelle, was six months old when their mother died in an automobile accident, and she grew up to be the most famous Payne of them all.
Australian actress Rachel Griffiths, whom you may remember from âSix Feet Under,â makes her directing debut with this, Ride Like a Girl,â essentially about Michelle Payneâs historic winning of the Melbourne Cup in 2015, Australiaâs equivalent of our Kentucky Derby. She was the first woman jockey to do so.