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Champion jockey Jye McNeil has copped a huge 18-meeting suspension after pleading guilty to a charge of careless riding during Tuesday's Melbourne Cup.
Racing Stewards deemed that the Victoria-based jockey, who won this illustrious race back in 2020 aboard Twilight Payment, had forced Presage Nocturne and Vauban to close the gap between each other unnecessarily.
He'll be sidelined until Monday, November 24, 2025, but will be able to make a return for Oaks Day later this week, with his suspension due to commence on Friday, November 7.
'Rider Jye McNeil (Valiant King [GB]) pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding under the provisions of AR 131(a), in that near the 2600m he rode his mount in, resulting in Presage Nocturne (IRE) and Vauban (FR) racing unnecessarily tight for some distance,' the stewards' report said.
'Jye McNeil had his licence to ride in races suspended for 18 race meetings, with the period to commence on Friday, 7 November 2025 and expire on Sunday, 23 November 2025.
'Accordingly, Jye McNeil will be able to return to ride on Monday, 24 November 2025.
Australian jockey Jye McNeil (pictured with his partner Jessica) has copped a huge ban after he pleaded guilty to careless riding during Tuesday's Melbourne Cup
McNeil won the Melbourne Cup back in 2020 aboard Twilight Payment, but will now be unable to race from November 7 until November 24
'In assessing penalty, account was taken of his guilty plea, good record, that it was a Group 1 event, the Feature Race Penalty Guidelines and that the incident was in the mid-range.'
McNeil, who is married to fellow jockey Jessica Payne, the sister of former Melbourne Cup winner Michelle, wasn't the only rider to land a big ban on Tuesday.
John Allen jumped aboard Kaleo in Race Eight and Windstorm in Race 10, but pleaded guilty to two separate charges in both races.
The rider was handed a 10-meeting suspension first after he pleaded guilty to careless riding in Race 10.
He pleaded guilty to another careless riding charge in Race 10 for making another horse, He'll Rip, change its course, landing himself an eight-meeting suspension.
He will serve out the bans cumulatively with his suspension also set to begin on November 7, with a prospective return on November 24.
Jamie Melham, meanwhile, stole the show on Tuesday, as she and Half Yours made history by winning the 2025 Melbourne Cup.
Melham is only the second female jockey to win the iconic race after McNeil's sister-in-law, Michelle Payne, claimed the title back in 2015 aboard Prince of Penzance.
A stewards' report stated that McNeil (pictured) rode 'his mount in, resulting in Presage Nocturne (IRE) and Vauban (FR) racing unnecessarily tight for some distance'
'In assessing penalty, account was taken of his guilty plea, good record, that it was a Group 1 event, the Feature Race Penalty Guidelines and that the incident was in the mid-range,' stewards' said
Half Yours had been priced at $9 before the race but exploded to the finish line at Flemington to claim the $10million prize pot.
'It's been long enough, 10 years. I had to do it sooner or later,' Melham said of joining Payne as a Melbourne Cup winner.
'All week I've been thinking about it, been excited, but no feeling can describe what I felt just then - what I'm still feeling.'
Melham steered through several gaps, including one to move past husband Ben Melham on Smokin' Romans, to secure the win.
'It's all the horse. What an absolute tough, legend of a horse,' Melham said.
'We ran through the race about 10 or 20 times last night about where I want to be in the race. That was exactly where I wanted to be.
'I wanted the first wave to go and it did, and we cut the corner and could not script it any better.
'You need the horse underneath you to do that for you and the gaps were small, but the horse didn't for a second hesitate.
'That's the sort of horse you need in these races.'
