Michelle Payne, who became a global sensation when partnering 100-1 outsider Prince Of Penzance (NZ) (Pentire {GB}) to a memorable triumph in the 2015 Melbourne Cup, has officially retired from the saddle.
A winner of 772 races throughout her career, Payne will now switch her attention to training winners rather than riding them.
“I've handed in my license so that's it for me,” Payne told justhorseracing.com.au. “It was a tough decision to come to and obviously took a lot of time to decide on. But I've achieved my biggest dream of winning the Melbourne Cup and had my time in the sun. I really enjoyed it and obviously loved the competitive side of riding and being out there and being connected with the horse.”
She added, “(I'm now) really looking forward to the training side of things, you still get as much of a kick out of it just watching it. I probably get a bit more nervous, which is interesting because it gets taken out of your hands a bit. But at the end of the day, it was always going to come to an end and I'm content and looking forward to the next step.”
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