As a young girl in England Lizzie Jelfs loved riding ponies. She carried this passion for horses into adulthood, working for a trainer who taught her most of what she knows about the industry today. With a burning desire to travel, Lizzie was fortunate enough to have contacts at Lindsay Park in Melbourne where she still works 15 years on. Before her current role as stable manager at Lindsay Park, Lizzie was their travelling foreman, accompanying horses interstate as well as overseas to Japan, the UAE, Hong Kong, Singapore and, in a career highlight, to Royal Ascot in England. Starting a family curtailed her ability to travel, so her career as a stable manager began. Her role encompasses looking after the entire running of the stable, from coordinating how trackwork runs to managing the staff - and you'll still find her mucking out the stables. Lizzie recently added another string to her bow - that of broadcaster for Racing.com. Providing the 'paddock report' and essentially using her extensive knowledge to analyse each runner in the mounting yard, Lizzie offers assessments on each horse's race readiness based on temperament and physical appearance. With nothing but positive experiences in the racing industry, Lizzie has never felt that obstacles were put in her way because she is a woman.

Lizzie is one of the featured women in the Victoria Racing Club's new exhibition highlighting the extraordinary women working behind the scenes of the Australian horse racing industry. The exhibition features stunning portraits of nine women at work as they prepare for Australia's premier thoroughbred racing event - the 2016 Melbourne Cup Carnival. The free exhibition is on show in Sofi's Lounge at Sofitel Melbourne On Collins daily from 9am until 5pm until Sunday, 27 November, 2016.

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