Australian Jockey Payne Offered BC Mount

Jockey Michelle Payne, who made history by becoming the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup (Aus-I) last year, has been offered the mount on Azkadellia for the Breeders' Cup Nov. 5 at Santa Anita Park.

Azkadellia, a New Zealand-bred Shinko King filly trained by Ciaron Maher for owner Ben Connolly, earned a fees-paid, automatic berth in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (gr. IT) with her win in the Coolmore Legacy Queen of the Turf Stakes (Aus-I) April 9 at Randwick. 

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Payne's manager, Phillip Roost, confirmed the Breeders' Cup offer.

"It's my understanding that the horse will have two or three starts here in Australia before journeying to the States," Roost said. "Michelle is no stranger to Azkadellia as she rode her in the early stages of her racing career."

Payne landed the 2015 Melbourne Cup aboard 100-1 longshot Prince Of Penzance before suffering life-threatening injuries in a race at Mildura in May and undergoing a subsequent surgery for a torn pancreas. She only recently returned to riding trackwork but not race riding.

The connections of Prince of Penzance told Payne that she will not be back aboard their runner, contending that she would not be riding fit before his planned start in the Aug. 27 Memsie (Aus-I) ahead of defense of his Melbourne Cup win in Nov. 1.

Payne has ridden Prince Of Penzance in 24 of his 25 starts, posting seven wins, six seconds, and two thirds.