reductio ad absurdum

Cancelled flight can't stop Payne raid

A cancelled flight might've cost her a treble, but that little hiccup wasn't enough to wipe the smile off Michelle Payne's face as the Melbourne Cup-winning jockey collected a double at Morphettville on Saturday, snapping a 15-month drought in the process.

Like many around Australia, Payne's trip to Adelaide was delayed as a result of the ongoing airport chaos and it meant she missed her ride on The Guava in the opening race, which saluted at the precise moment her re-booked flight was taking off.

But that disappointment didn't last long as Payne made it to Morphettville in time to make amends and collect the fifth race with Another Rally at $5 before snaring the last with Mr Pickwick to cap off a big day.

While not quite the perfect outcome, Payne couldn't have done anymore, repaying the faith of her brother Patrick as she continues to ramp up her return to race-riding after spending the past couple of years establishing her training business.

Another Rally was the 36-year-old's first victory in the saddle since March 21, 2021 – and her first in South Australia since April 18, 2015.

Great to have you back riding winners at @SAJockeyClub, @mj_payne ✅???? pic.twitter.com/EHcSpX6R7x

— Racing SA #ThoroughCareMonth (@RacingSA) June 25, 2022

Given all the challenges earlier in the day, Payne was excited to experience that winning feeling again.

"There's nothing like that adrenaline rush of being out there and getting over the line in front, especially when it's for family," Payne said.

"I had two flights cancelled – Qantas and Virgin. I rang Patrick and he was a bit of a smart-arse actually, he said maybe I did him a favour because he got Todd Pannell, one of the leading riders over here, for the first race.

"I was just taking off and it cut out the last 100m. I didn't actually know if it won until I landed.

"When that one won I thought ‘I'm going to have to show him'.

"It's good to get here for (Another Rally and Mr Pickwick), they were great wins."

After an eight-month break and only a handful of rides in the last few months, Payne is looking to increase her workload and spend some more time in the saddle and this could be the perfect launch pad.

3 on the day for Patrick Payne as @mj_payne rides a double at @SAJockeyClub ????✅✅ pic.twitter.com/KnkbSkG37e

— Racing SA #ThoroughCareMonth (@RacingSA) June 25, 2022

"It's not through a lack of wanting to get out and ride, I've just been focusing on getting my team set up at home and getting that going," she said.

"It's been a bit hard to do both so it's good to be back in the full swing of things a bit more now and hopefully I'll get some more rides.

"It's great to win for Patrick, who has been very kind to me over the years and very kind to me here again today."

Payne wasn't the only Victorian-based trainer to break a drought as Lindsey Smith secured his first winner in Adelaide with Sacred Palace prevailing in the sixth race.

Sacred Palace with a nice turn of foot to score at @SAJockeyClub ???? pic.twitter.com/WLw3hVA0OX

— Racing SA #ThoroughCareMonth (@RacingSA) June 25, 2022

The 10-time Group 1 winner had six placings from 12 previous starts in the city and his run of near misses looked set to continue as odds-on favourite No Drama was pipped in the opening event.

But Scared Palace ensured he didn't make the drive back to Warrnambool empty-handed, the $3.20 favourite well-handled by Jarrod Fry to beat Aiguilette by a half-length.

"It's just good this horse was able to get the money," Smith said.

"It looked his race on paper with the weights and the little drop in class from Caulfield and a little bit of give in the ground.

"The two-year-old that got beat, he was off his game a little bit – he got a bit agitated being down there on his own (in the tie-up stalls) for a couple of hours."

Wisdom has been chasing me but I've always outrun it!

I wish her all the very best of luck and success, she�s such a brave, resilient woman.

“Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride, friendship without envy, or beauty without vanity? Here where grace is laced with muscle and strength by gentleness confined”

Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne has escaped serious injury despite being kicked in the face and leg by a horse at Ballarat.

Payne, 35, sustained cuts to her chin and face, as well as heavy bruising on her legs, in the incident early on Tuesday morning.

Despite the injuries, the dual-license holder incredibly went on to ride four of her own horses before going to Ballarat hospital for scans and treatment.

�It wasn�t one of my own (horses), a really, really quiet horse and it got a fright � I fell underneath him and when he got a fright he panicked and kicked me in the chin and kicked me in the leg,� Payne said.

�Initially, I couldn�t get up because my leg was so sore and I thought I was being a sook, but I was able to ride more horses � the blood was coming out of my chin but was still OK.

�I went to the emergency (after track work) and they stitched me up and did a head scan, they were happy enough with my leg, it was just the bruising, like a massive corkie.�

Payne was lucky the kick to the head landed on her jaw, which was somewhat cushioned by the chin guard on her helmet, and not the face.

The bruising on the leg and subsequent swelling was the worst of the damage, with Payne warned to be mindful of Compartment syndrome.

A build-up of pressure from internal bleeding or swelling of tissues can trigger the excruciatingly painful and dangerous condition, which jockey Michael Walker endured last month.

READ: Michael Walker to undergo third leg operation in five days

�I saw the doctor again yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon at the races at Ballarat � he said to be really careful with the bruising because it�s similar with what happened with Michael Walker,� Payne said.

�If it continues to bleed in the muscle it could be dangerous.

�I�ve been icing it flat out and it�s come down � my leg was twice the size as it is normally, at one point, but it�s definitely coming down.�

Wisdom has been chasing me but I've always outrun it!

Is it right Michelle got kicked in the face a day or so ago ?

animals before people.

Michelle Payne is looking forward to welcoming a new addition to her team in time for the Spring Carnival in the form of German filly Arabica.

The Ballarat-based trainer acquired the daughter of Starspangledbanner after an eight-length win at just her second start.

"She looks a nice filly, I loved her and she was reasonably priced," Payne said of her latest acquisition.

"We were keen to snap her up quickly after that win and the vets were pleased with her.

"She will go to Harry Eustace now, but she can't get on the plane until the August shipment.

"She'll be out of quarantine by late August for the spring."

Payne will be hoping Arabica can live up to the heights of last week's Ascot Gold Cup winner Subjectivist, who she tried to buy last year from the Mark Johnston stable.

"Mick Sharkie has been on the lookout for a horse for me up and racing in Europe or New Zealand," explained Payne.

"We tried to buy Subjectivist last year, but they wanted too much money.

"He's won two Group 1s since and the Ascot Gold Cup last week."

Payne said no plans had been made as to where Arabica may be seen in the spring.

"She will already be a four-year-old," she said.

"We will have a look where to run her, she has won over 1500 metres, but I think she will get 1800 to 2000 metres or beyond, so it will be interesting where we end up."

Arabica will be raced in the silks of Ernest and Ronda Clarke, who also purchased Kaspersky for Payne in the early part of her training career.

"I've had a lot of interested people, but the Clarkes own a big percentage and have been fantastic supporters of mine," Payne said of the owners.

"She is one of the most exciting horses I've had for sure.

"I was keen to get something up and going, I only have a small team now and quite a few babies, so was hoping to get a horse to race."

Payne currently has six racehorses in work, with a further three in pre-training. She purchased 10 yearlings this season, but it is an unraced Frankel two-year-old named Serlik who has her most excited.

Serlik cost $500,000 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and is owned by Sardar Azmoun, a professional Iranian footballer. Serlik is also the full brother to the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Steinem.

"He unfortunately had to have a wind operation, but the vets say it's one of the best they have seen," Payne said.

"He is back working and improved out of sight, you can feel a big motor when you ride him and is a very exciting horse that could be something special."

Serlik won a Cranbourne barrier trial in March.

Payne rode her brother Patrick's horse Rubisaki to finish second at Flemington on Saturday, while her own horse Mark the Horse won on the same day at Donald.

Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing

Michelle Payne is set to expand her training operation to Queensland with a good friend already locked in to run her northern stable.

The Melbourne Cup-winner is eager to add a Sunshine Coast base to her current property at Ballarat, Nottingham Farm.

Payne�s long-term friend and fellow Group 1-winning jockey Nikita Beriman will head up the Queensland stable, which Payne is hopeful will be up and firing heading into this year�s Winter Carnival.

"I�ve always loved Queensland racing and the Sunshine Coast is a really good course which will add a new dynamic for our owners," Payne said.

"We�ve already got some owners up there and with the warmer weather it adds a different dimension to how we can train our horses, especially the babies."

Beriman retired from race riding in September 2019 after being hindered with injuries and has since been living up in Queensland.

Payne says she couldn�t think of anyone better to run her new base.

"Nikita and I have been good friends for twenty years since her first race ride when she was 15 years-old and we were next to each other in the barriers," Payne said.

"She�s an exceptional horsewoman and once she sets her mind on something there�s not many people who are more determined.

"She�s also spent a lot of time in the area amongst the local racing community and has those connections and has already be scouting boxes. I�ll head up there next weekend to hopefully lock something in."

Payne says she will herself remain based at Ballarat and while she will be expanding interstate she won�t be taking on too many horses.

"I�m not going to be taking on big numbers still early in my training career but think this is the perfect next step. I�m keen to stick to around 10 to 20 just so I can continue to be hands on with them.

"I�m still learning so much but I�m determined to keep getting better and giving my owners the best opportunities with their horses."

Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing

Good on her.

animals before people.

A little over five years ago, the world got to watch Michelle Payne�s deeds and to hear her words after she became the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup.

She did so on a 100/1 horse called Prince Of Penzance before she famously called out those in horse racing that doubted a woman�s prowess in the saddle.

Her latest achievement may not reach such international recognition (she still gets daily messages from fans all throughout Europe), but for Payne, her new award, the Order of Australia Medal, will be every bit as cherished as is her miniature gold Cup.

"It�s a great sport and something I�ve grown up with, something that I love and been passionate about my whole life so to receive a reward in honour of that is really special to me," Payne told Racing.com.

"I feel really proud and honored to receive it. To be going into that stage of being a role-model for the younger generation coming through � people with dreams. Showing people that anything Is possible if you are prepared to work really hard and persevere through the tough times.

"That�s what makes me really proud and if anyone can gain anything from that, it would be really special to me."

Unlike winning the Melbourne Cup, which she had dreamed about winning all her life and which was the subject of the film Ride Like A Girl, a national award such as an OAM was something she had never contemplated.

"It�s definitely not an award that I thought in my wildest dreams I would be achieving," she said.

"I know Neville Wilson did a few years ago as my sister Margaret managed him at the time and she was really proud of him so to be following in Neville�s footsteps is really special as he was an amazing jockey and amazing icon for Australian racing.

"The main messages I�d like people to hear and see from my achievements is also, I try really hard.

"I think there is so much in that. You might not be blessed with the most amount of ability but I think if you really try hard there is so much to be said for that so that is one of the biggest lessons I would pass down."

Payne, of course, was famous to a degree even before she won a Melbourne Cup. The youngest of 10 children � eight of which became licensed jockeys � she pays much of the credit for her success to her family, who raised her after their mother Mary died in a car accident when Michelle was six months� old.

"I was really fortunate to have role models before me,�� she said.

"They really had to break ground for us and I was so lucky to see my older brothers and especially my sisters, who had to do it really tough.

"But they were amazing as they just went out there and did it and I think having them in my life has really paved the way for me.

"So, if I can carry that onto the next generation and showing any woman who is really wanting to achieve in our sport, it is possible to achieve at the highest level."

Payne told doubters of female riders to "get stuffed" moments after her Melbourne Cup win and she said she did so after years of watching her fellow female riders struggle for equality.

"I think that was just a bit of an off-the-cuff moment and I am really proud and happy that I said it," she said.

"There is more behind what I said. It was a chauvinistic sport for me coming through the jockey�s ranks. There were so many challenges so that I faced and a lot of the other girls that I had ridden against faced and I thought it was the perfect time to stand up and say something once I�d won the greatest race, the Melbourne Cup.

"It was something that I really stand by strong and the girls are now really flying in Australia and that is so great to see.

"It�s a new era and its really exciting because we have so many girls coming into the industry."

Payne, who has overcome a stream of injuries as well as doubters throughout her career, said she won�t be the only one shocked by the award.

"I think dad (Paddy) will be surprised along with the rest of the family, as I was," she said.

"It came as a huge surprise to me but hopefully they will be proud.

"They know it hasn�t always been an easy road through to winning the Melbourne Cup and the responsibilities that come after that but hopefully they are proud of how I conducted myself.

"I think that is one of my greatest achievement is perseverance. I persevered on a dream and it might have seemed hopeless at times and there was a time when I did think it was time for me to give up but definitely that ambition to achieve at the highest level � probably stubbornness got me there."

Payne, 35, said she will continue to ride while she can, but said the long game revolves around a training career.

"I am loving the dual-license of training and riding, I was probably planning on giving up rising a few years ago but I am just loving it so much being able to work with these horses every day and ride them in the race and to really feel the benefits of knowing a horse so well and to see that on race day is just something I just absolutely love," she said.

"I know its not going to last forever so I am enjoying it while I can and while I am young enough and fit enough but definitely the next step is to go into training full time."

"For me, what I love is being able to treat the horses like horses. They go out into the paddocks every day and have that country, farm lifestyle. Looking forward to that next chapter and hopefully I find that champion in the future.

"Basically, I really want to get the highest quality stable here. To achieve at the highest level I think everyone aims at that. I love the Cox Plate � that�s one of my favourite races - and to have a horse run in that would be a dream come true.

"It is hard to believe how life has turned out. But it is a true testament to, if you try hard and work really hard, just what is possible."

furious wrote:

Maybe Djebel can be happy now!

I have been happy with Payne for quite some time.

?

reductio ad absurdum

Maybe Djebel can be happy now!

And rides/trains the 3100m winner at the 'Bool today.

Yeah but he gets a bit old with his repetetive flog about gelding and stayers and Aussie trainers. Big smile

animals before people.

I agree I am a repetitive flog but I refute being clueless.

You are more than welcome to prove me wrong Teddles.

reductio ad absurdum

A lot of great things came out of Hawera, Fury's Order, The Paynes, some of the best jockeys NZ ever enjoyed and the greenest grass you've seen in your life, there should be a monument to Paddy, his bloods worth bottling.

Michelle Payne

Serlik set for new home in Iran

Cancelled flight can't stop Payne raid