Michelle Payne's feet have hardly touched the ground since she made history by becoming the first woman to ride the winner of the Melbourne Cup.
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And the groundbreaking jockey, who has picked up countless media plaudits since her historic triumph, pocketed another award on Monday when the state's racing journalists voted her their personality of the year.
The media voted her their larger-than-life figure, in the main due to her media-savvy shout-out after she returned to scale following her win on Prince Of Penzance, the 100-1 shot who stunned all rivals in Australia's greatest race.
The Age's racing writer Patrick Bartley,along with investigative writers Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie, won the VRC-sponsored award for the best news story.
The trio were saluted for their hard-nosed account of the cobalt saga, which rocked Victorian racing to the core before, after and during the spring carnival.