Michelle Payne to miss Kaspersky ride

Michelle Payne has ruled herself out of the ride on Kaspersky at Newbury after failing to recover from the illness which kept her from riding in the Shergar Cup.

Martin Harley will now partner Kaspersky in Saturday’s Hungerford Stakes with the horse slated to come to Australia for the spring carnival.

Payne teamed up with fellow Australian, trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam, at Royal Ascot in June when Kaspersky ran a fine race to finish fifth in the Queen Anne Stakes.

Harley got back on board when the six-year-old ran second in last month’s Summer Mile and Payne was to ride this weekend.

“Michelle won’t be riding,” Chapple-Hyam said.

“Martin Harley will ride the horse again and we’re very happy with him.

“We’re coming back to seven furlongs (1400m). It was either that or go up to a mile and a quarter (2000m) and after he ran so well in the Summer Mile, I felt seven furlongs was the better option for him.”

Payne was the subject of controversy last week when she left a Shergar Cup media function citing the illness.