Champion jockey Glen Boss slammed over comments about Melbourne Cup winner Michelle Payne

CHAMPION jockey Glen Boss has been slammed for his comments about Michelle Payne. He reckons he’s been “stitched up”.

2015 Melbourne Cup day at Flemington Racecourse, Race2- Glen Boss onboard Zarzali wins. Melbourne. 3rd November 2015. Picture: Colleen Petch. MelbourneCup15

MELBOURNE Cup veteran Glen Boss has been slammed over his suggestion Michelle Payne might live to regret her comments about racing’s boys’ club, but the racing champion has distanced himself from the comments, saying he was stitched up.

Boss, who won Australia’s biggest race event three years in a row riding the legendary Makybe Diva was quoted in the Daily Telegraphreducing Australia’s first female Melbourne Cup winner’s post-race spray about the “chauvinistic” sport to having “a bee in her bonnet” and suggesting she would regret her comments.

“Probably she’ll reflect on it in a couple days and say ‘Maybe I could have handled it better’, maybe not,” he said.

After his comments were splashed on the Sydney newspaper’s front page, the champion jockey took to Twitter saying the reporter had “taken what I said and turned it upside down”.

In comments since deleted from his Twitter profile, Boss went on to say “I so much support Girls”, before apparently threatening the Telegraph journalist.

“Let me make it very clear this Dog left out all the great things I said just for a story. I (can’t) wait to see this Wanker.”

Michelle Payne celebrates as she returns to the mounting yard after she rode Prince of Penzance. Picture: Julian Smith/AAP

The newspaper comments have earned the triple Cup winner criticism from supporters of Michelle Payne.

Radio shock jock Alan Jones launched a heated rant against Boss’s comments on his breakfast show on 2GB this morning, and also criticised his performance as a jockey.

“I don’t think she’ll ever regret it, and she’ll have plenty of people cheering her on,” he said.

“Are women as good as men as jockeys or trainers? Well, check it out. How many premierships has Clare Lindop won? Three. And I wonder if Michelle Payne had ridden Royal Descent in the Caulfield Cup, could she have possibly ridden a worse race than Glen Boss?”

Jones praised Ms Payne as a “hero” and said she could “do without advice, I think, from the very erratic Glen Boss”.

“Michelle Payne going past the winning post on Tuesday in a very modest gesture was much preferable to Glen Boss standing up in the saddle every time he rides a Group One winner and annoying the tripe out of everybody,” he said.

“You’ve got to have real talent, strength and judgment to do what MP did for two miles, man or woman.”

@erinrileyau Ironically enough, in criticising her, Boss neatly proves Michelle Payne's point!

— Will Sinclair (@sinclair_will) November 4, 2015

Don't think Michelle Payne could have handled this better. Payne said what we are all thinking. #getstuffed #boysclub #snore

— Jessica Halloran (@JessiHalloran) November 4, 2015

I hope @boss_glen lives to regret these comments https://t.co/f8kSixD2a3 #MichellePayne

— Sally Sitou (@ssitou) November 4, 2015

Following her history-making win on Tuesday, Payne said racing was “such a chauvinistic sport” and said those who didn’t think women should have equal standing in the sport should “get stuffed”.

Boss said on Twitter he had also said “great things” that were left out in the story.

He was quoted saying Michelle was “a real strong character, that’s why we all love her”.

On Cup day, the former Melbourne Cup champion tweeted his congratulations to Ms Payne, signing off with “Girl power”.

To be at the races and witnesses M Payne win the Cup was a Thrill & a privilege. Girl Power. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

— GLEN BOSS (@boss_glen) November 3, 2015

Originally published as Champion jockey Glen Boss slammed over comments about Melbourne Cup winner Michelle Payne