Michelle Payne wants to train and ride in 2017 Melbourne Cup

MICHELLE Payne wants to write more Melbourne Cup history before she retires as a jockey and hopes to find her next winner in Europe next year.

Jockey Michelle Payne celebrates after winning the 2015 Melbourne Cup on Prince of Penzance at Flemington.

MICHELLE Payne is working to write another history-making Melbourne Cup chapter by becoming the first jockey-trainer to win Australia’s iconic race before she retires.

Payne will head overseas to try and find her Melbourne Cup winner.

“My main plan is to head to Europe in June or July to find a horse for the Melbourne Cup,” she said at her Ballarat stables.

“The plan is to ride and train it myself. It couldn’t get any more special than that.

“You’ve got to dream big and that’s what I’m doing.”

Payne signalled that retiring from riding at the end of next year or 2018 was in her plans.

The 31-year-old trailblazer described her year as “a crazy one” which encapsulated the “highs and lows of life”.

Michelle Payne will train for a women-only syndicate. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

She said a shocking race fall at Mildura in May had forced her to drastically re-order priorities.

“I was just cruising along mid-year and getting ready for a big trip to Europe and it was a life changing experience,” she told the Herald Sun in October.

“Having that fall in May where I had to have abdominal surgery, it could have been life-threatening.

“It taught me to really enjoy life and to make the most of it while you can.”

Payne confirmed she could have as few as 12 months left in the saddle.

“It’s not too far away. It’s a very dangerous sport and I’ve had my fair share of falls,” she said.

“I don’t want to push my luck. Having said that you’ve got to live your life doing what you love.”

Jockey Michelle Payne celebrates after winning the 2015 Melbourne Cup on Prince of Penzance at Flemington.

But before she calls it quits as a rider Payne wants to add another Melbourne Cup to her victory as a jockey on Prince Of Penzance in 2015 — but this time with her name also in the race book as trainer.

The dual jockey-trainer licence was introduced by Racing Victoria only in August and Payne quickly took up the running.

She became the first rider-trainer to salute when she rode Duke Of Nottingham to win at Swan Hill last month.

Payne said she had been approached by a number of people about buying an international horse for the 2017 Melbourne Cup.

These included Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock’s Darren and Liz Dance, who purchased this year’s Cup runner-up Heartbreak City from Ireland.

Payne said she was “very keen, very keen on German and French horses” as they had been successful in recent Cups and they had superior breeding.

“Really I’m just after the right horse whether it’s from England or Ireland or anywhere,” Payne said.

Payne’s brother Stevie, who famously strapped Prince of Penzance and shared in his sister’s Cup joy, is a part-owner of her training complex Nottingham Farm and has joined her team in recent weeks.

Payne today launched with Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock a Women In Racing ownership syndicate.

The concept involves buying Cups horses for Payne to train.

Payne said Duke Of Nottingham was raced by school friends from Loreto College, Ballarat.

“There are a lot of reasons why women don’t get involved in racing and we want to bust some of the myths,” Payne said.

Payne won the Christmas Stakes on board Lucky Liberty at Caulfield on Monday.

Michelle Payne wins the Christmas Stakes on board Lucky Liberty at Caulfield.