When Australian horse racing patriarch Paddy Payne Sr passed away peacefully at age 90, the nation mourned a legend who raised ten children and built one of the sport’s greatest dynasties.
But for his youngest son, Stevie Payne, the loss is far deeper than losing a family patriarch—it is losing the man who treated him as an equal, gave him a purpose, and believed in him when the rest of the world saw only a disability.
Stevie, 34, who has Down syndrome and became an international sensation as the strapper for his sister Michelle Payne’s historic 2015 Melbourne Cup victory, has broken his silence on his father’s passing.
Surrounded by saddles, headstalls, and the familiar smell of fresh hay at the family’s Ballarat stables, Stevie shared an incredibly touching account of his relationship with his dad, recalling the warm words Paddy repeated throughout his life and the painful moment they said their final goodbye.
“He Always Said I Was His Best Kid”
In a home filled with eight professional jockeys, trophy cups, and constant high-stakes pressure, Paddy Payne made sure Stevie never felt left behind or treated differently.
While others outside the racing industry questioned what a child with Down syndrome could achieve, Paddy immediately put Stevie to work in the stables alongside his brothers and sisters..’
He’d say, ‘The other ones give me headaches with their riding and weight, but Stevie just works hard, loves the horses, and makes me smile every single day.’
He made me feel like I was the most important person in the world.”
Paddy’s refusal to limit Stevie paved the way for one of the greatest feel-good moments in Australian sporting history.
When Michelle Payne rode Prince of Penzance to a 100-1 miracle win in the 2015 Melbourne Cup, it was Stevie who drew horse stall number one and held the reins in the Flemington mounting yard, proving to millions watching across the globe just how capable people with Down syndrome are when given trust and responsibility.
The Last Morning At The Stables
Even as Paddy grew fragile in his late eighties and nineties, his routine with Stevie remained sacred.
Every single morning, before the sun crested the Ballarat hills, the father and son would sit together in the kitchen with a hot cup of tea before heading out to check on the horses.
Michelle revealed that long after the other siblings had moved out to pursue their own riding careers, Stevie remained by Paddy’s side, keeping his father young at heart and curing the loneliness of an empty house.
Stevie recalled their very last quiet moment together in the stables just days before Paddy passed away:
“I went over to his chair, held his hand, and told him the horses were all fed and tucked in for the night. He was getting very tired, but he looked up at me, squeezed my hand really tight, and said, ‘Good boy, Stevie.
You’re a true horseman.’ I’ll never forget that. I’m going to keep looking after the horses just like he taught me.”
“I Know He’s With Mum Now”
The bond between Paddy and Stevie was forged in shared resilience.
When Stevie’s mother, Mary, was tragically killed in a car accident in 1986, Paddy was left to raise ten children alone while managing Stevie’s medical care and early childhood diagnosis.
Paddy refused to let grief or hardship define their household. He taught Stevie how to be independent, how to cook, and how to take pride in hard work.
When asked how he was coping with the sudden silence around the Ballarat property, Stevie smiled through his tears, finding comfort in the same simple faith his father lived by for 90 years.
“I miss him so much already.
The stables feel too quiet without him yelling out orders.
But I know he was tired, and I know he’s up there in heaven now with Mum, holding her hand again.
I told him before he went to sleep that he didn’t need to worry about anything down here—I’ll keep making him proud.”
For the millions of Australians who cheered for Stevie in the mounting yard at Flemington and fell in love with his story in the feature film Ride Like a Girl, Stevie’s grief is a poignant reminder of Paddy Payne’s greatest legacy.
Paddy didn’t just train champion racehorses; he raised a son who showed the world the true meaning of capability, love, and unconditional family devotion.