The Melbourne Cup on November 4 is the 10-year anniversary of one of the most famous verses in the sprawling poetic history of Australian sport: MJ Payne becoming the first female jockey to win the great race on a 100-1 shot called Prince of Penzance.

There have been books, a movie, documentaries, fandom, celebrity, stalkers, family tragedies, spotlight, exhaustion, euphoria, what a ride. If life’s a trip, there’s been few so eventful, all of which Fantauzzo has tried to capture in this rather mesmerising portrait commissioned by the Victoria Racing Club.

“Woah!” Payne says when she takes a squiz. “It’s a little bit hard for me to explain how I feel. There’s something so special about it but I’m not exactly sure how to put it into words. It’s incredible the way Vincent can capture people. Look at all the portraits around us. Their eyes, the emotions you can feel in every painting. It’s an amazing talent to reveal the essence of another human being. I’m actually really proud of how he’s captured me.”

Read more in The Australian