Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne to set up stables on Sunshine Coast

A Melbourne Cup-winning jockey is expanding their stables to the Sunshine Coast in a major coup for the region’s racing industry.

Melbourne Cup winning jockey Michelle Payne will set up a satellite stable on the Sunshine Coast. Picture: Jay Town.

A Melbourne Cup-winning jockey has announced plans to expand their stables to the Sunshine Coast in a major coup for the region's racing industry.

Michelle Payne, the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup in its 155-year history in 2015, will set up a satellite stable on the Coast to add to her Nottingham Farm, Ballarat, operation.

"I'm so excited - it's going to be so much fun," Payne told the Daily.

"It's a new venture and new challenge but moving up north and being in Queensland it's obviously a great place to be so I can't wait to be honest."

She said the stables would be based at the Sunshine Coast Turf Club and looked forward having a warmer climate option for her horses in the winter.

Payne said she would head up next week to see the stables and has plans of buying some horses at the Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale.

"So, if we can get some horses up in Queensland to get us started I think that'd be really good," she said.

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Payne, who made the announcement on Sunday, has tasked Group 1-winning jockey and now local Nikita Beriman to help run the stable.

Nikita Beriman. Picture: Jay Town

 

"She's been a good friend of mine for many years and is a really good horsewoman," she said.

"It's hard to find people as good as her to help you."

Along with Payne, Beriman has also made the record books for leading female jockeys.

She has had 695 career victories including becoming the first female jockey to win a Group 1 in Victoria when claiming the Emirates Stakes on Tears I Cry in 2007.

Payne said she would aim to have up to 10 runners in her Coast stables.

"It's only going to be a small team but it'll be a boutique stable and a lot of fun," she said.

Payne, who won the Cup on Prince Of Penzance, had a movie Ride Like a Girl made in 2019 about her achievement at Flemington.

She was recently awarded an Order of Australia Medal in January.

Payne said those interested in being involved can contact her here.

Originally published as Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne to set up stables on Sunshine Coast