A woman’s touch

Women were unable to apply for a trainer’s licence in Australia until the 1970s, but they still managed to train Melbourne Cup winners. Hedwick ‘Granny’ McDonald became the first woman to train a Cup winner with Catalogue, who won in 1938. To get around the rules, McDonald listed her husband’s name as trainer.

Sheila Laxon became the first officially recognised woman to train a Cup winner when Ethereal claimed the race in 2001.