The leading women of Australian Racing have formed a horseback tribute to the late Colin McKenna, with Michelle Payne and Jamie Kah honouring the late self-made billionaire at his funeral on Saturday.
McKenna was a prominent Australian racehorse owner and breeder who won the 2022 Melbourne Cup with Gold Trip and the 2016 Caulfield Cup with Jameka.
He died on October 27 just two weeks after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour and was farewelled at his Union Station property on Saturday by a host of big names of the racing industry.
As part of the tributes, Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne and champion hoop Jamie Kah led the procession on horseback and wearing full silks.
‘A nice touch at Colin McKenna’s funeral with Jamie Kah and Michelle Payne on horseback,’ Racing.com said.
Kah and Payne, along with trainer Ciaron Maher, shared a close bond with Colin McKenna.
Kah held back tears after securing her first win on Derby Day at Flemington last Saturday, riding Another Wil, owned by McKenna, in The Damien Oliver race.
On Friday, Colin McKenna’s son, Dean McKenna, who worked closely with him at The Midfield Group, gave a heartfelt eulogy.
Colin McKenna with jockey Nicholas Hall and trainer Ciaron Maher after their horse Jameka won the Caulfield Cup in 2016
McKenna was a much-loved part of the racing industry and several big names attended his funeral to farewell him
Ciaron Maher also delivered a moving tribute to honor McKenna’s legacy.
The funeral saw a gathering of well-known figures from the racing community, with Gai Waterhouse, Danny O’Brien, David Eustace, and Craig Williams among those in attendance to pay their respects.
‘It’s been a pretty tough few weeks for a lot of people, particularly his close friends and family,’ Colin’s good friend Trevor Auld said.
‘Colin helped so many people and it’s only been since his passing that a lot of people have realised because he was low profile, he didn’t seek anything.
‘If you were in the pub on a Saturday afternoon — we’d go watch the races and have a beer at his pub the Union Station Hotel in Woolsthorpe — people wouldn’t have known that he had money.
‘He got a lot out of racing.’
McKenna celebrated his first victory as a racehorse owner in 1974 at Penshurst, sparking a lifelong passion for horse racing that spanned five decades.
Over the next 50 years, he went on to own and co-own hundreds of horses, achieving success on tracks across Australia and even internationally at Royal Ascot.
McKenna’s racing colours, green and blue horizontal stripes, became iconic, adorning some of his top horses, including the Group 1 winner Jameka, Caulfield Cup contender Duke De Sessa, and star sprinter Merchant Navy.
Just a week before his passing, McKenna celebrated a Caulfield Cup victory as a part-owner of Duke De Sessa and, shortly before that, shared in the triumph of Future History in the JRA Cup.
In addition to his success in flat racing, McKenna had a deep appreciation for jumps racing, particularly at the Warrnambool Racecourse, close to his hometown of Woolsthorpe.
He co-owned dual Grand Annual Steeplechase winner Regina Coeli, trained by Ciaron Maher, as well as Big Blue, who won the Galleywood Hurdle, and Wil John, who captured the Jericho Cup.
McKenna’s connection to the racing community extended beyond the track; he hosted an annual fundraiser at his Woolsthorpe pub on the eve of the May Racing Carnival, which raised nearly $400,000 for charities over three years.
Recognized for his contributions to both racing and his community, McKenna was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2021.
