For much of his life, Paddy Payne Snr was known for horses.

He was the patriarch of one of Australia’s best-known racing families, a respected horseman and the father of 10 children. But behind the racing legacy was a much more personal family story — and one of its most touching chapters was his bond with his youngest son, Stevie.

Paddy died aged 90 on September 8, 2026, leaving behind a family whose name has become deeply woven into Australian racing. His children included Michelle Payne, who made history in 2015 as the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup, as well as Stevie, whose own place in the Payne family story has always been rather special.

And years before Paddy’s final chapter, Michelle revealed something her father used to say about Stevie.

Paddy called him “his best kid.”

It was not a grand statement about racing or achievement. It was a simple expression of affection that offered a glimpse into how Paddy saw the son who had grown up with Down syndrome.

Michelle recalled that Stevie was always happy and that he could make the family laugh. The words, reported in 2013, carried a warmth that seemed to say far more about their relationship than any racing result ever could.

Stevie, meanwhile, became part of the family’s racing story in his own right.

In 2015, he was working with Prince of Penzance when Michelle rode the outsider to one of the most memorable Melbourne Cup victories in Australian racing history. His role as a strapper meant that Stevie was not simply watching his sister’s historic moment from the sidelines — he was part of the team around the horse. SBS later highlighted his story as an example of what people with Down syndrome could achieve, while the 2019 film Ride Like a Girl included Stevie playing himself.

The connection between Stevie and the racing world did not end with that famous afternoon.

A decade after the Melbourne Cup triumph, Racing.com caught up with Stevie at the 2025 Melbourne Cup Carnival. He spoke proudly about continuing to help Michelle and the family — and, in a small line that now carries even more meaning, said: “I’m helping Dad out as well.”

By then, Stevie was no longer simply the little brother seen beside Michelle in the aftermath of a historic race.

He had his own place in the Payne family’s world.

That may be what makes Paddy’s old description of him so touching.

In a family of 10 children, surrounded by jockeys, trainers, horses and one of the biggest victories Australian racing has ever seen, Paddy did not describe Stevie by what Down syndrome might have made difficult.

He simply called him his best kid.

And perhaps that small phrase says more about Paddy Payne as a father than any of his racing achievements ever could.

His legacy will live on through the Payne name, the horses, the Melbourne Cup history and the children who carried his love of racing into another generation.

But for Stevie, there was always something more personal.

He was simply Dad’s “best kid.”