There were no racehorses to be seen but Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne has thundered down the straight carrying the Queen's baton in the relay ahead of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Payne ran in the relay beside Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra on Friday afternoon.
"It was fun; to be out here is a real honour. I'm so proud to be out here on Australia Day," she told AAP.
Payne won the 2015 Melbourne Cup on Prince of Penzance and was the first female winner.
She joked she wasn't running that fast.
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"I wanted to saviour the moment and take it all in," Payne said.
Canberra's Priscilla Sutton, who is an amputee, also put in a stellar performance in the relay.
Seven months ago, Ms Sutton had by-pass surgery and has been in training to regain her fitness levels.
"I'm so nervous," she told AAP before her relay stint began, wearing her Nike blade prosthetic racing leg which was decorated with a rose print.
Her friends had made banners spelling out her name and cheered on the side lines.
Ms Sutton curated an exhibition of prosthetic limbs turned into artworks which coincided with the London Paralympics and was displayed in Brisbane.
The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games start in April.
