IT WAS hailed as a game-changer for women, a victory that was meant to have smashed through the glass ceiling in a sport dominated by men.

ANDREW CARDSWELL of the DAILY TELEGRAPH reports that one month on from her epic Melbourne Cup victory, champion jockey Michelle Payne can’t even get a ride in race meeting in Sydney.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Payne’s management accepted an invitation from the Australian Turf Club two weeks ago for the star jockey to parade the Melbourne Cup to punters at Royal Randwick this weekend, with expressions of interest emailed to trainers and owners stating she was available to ride.

The calls never came, with trainers and owners preferring to stick with their regular stable riders, in a clear snub of the Cup-winning hoop and a missed opportunity for the ATC to get the wider public through the gates.

“Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a ride on the day but it will be fantastic to be able to come out and mingle with the public and members and get some photo opportunity,’’ she said.

Payne’s manager, Phillip Roost, said she was “readily available for rides”, having accepted the invitation two weeks ago which was widely promoted by the ATC.

“Knowing the industry, it’s no surprise. The fields are small and I guess the trainers wanted to use their regular riders,’’ he said. “There were simply no spots for her. If people think this is about her gender, well that’s bullshit. If you want to look anywhere, have a look at the size of your fields.”

Moments after her thundering ride atop 101-1 hope Prince of Penzance in the Melbourne Cup, Payne delivered a wonderfully unpolished message to the male fraternity that dominates the horse racing industry; a classic “get stuffed” to those who think women are second-rate jockeys to their male counterparts.

Her win, she claimed in the post-race interviews, would hopefully “help female jockeys from now on to get more of a go’’.

The Daily Telegraph understands a group of renowned Sydney trainers are not enamored with Payne’s skills and have questioned her ability to compete with regular hoops who know Randwick intimately.

But her manager rejected the idea the snub was linked to Payne’s ability: “I don’t care if they don’t rate her. I’m sure she would have got rides if the fields were bigger.”

Walking through Randwick’s Theatre of Horses with five-year-old gelding Aussies Love Sport on Wednesday, Payne said her Cup win had changed the perception of female jockeys with trainers.

“(It has opened) doors everywhere. I’m getting offers from all over the place, not just in Australia, but the world,’’ she said.

Everywhere, it seems, bar Sydney.