Michelle Payne to ride at Royal Ascot

UK-based Australian trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam has booked Melbourne Cup- winning jockey Michelle Payne to ride her new Italian recruit Kaspersky at Royal Ascot in June.

The six-year-old was previously trained by Endo Botti and counts Italian and German Group Two victories on his record along with third place in an Italian Group One race last term.

Kaspersky arrived in Newmarket last Saturday and Chapple-Hyam has set her sights on the Queen Anne Stakes with the Emirates Stakes at Flemington on November 11 her ultimate target.

Payne, who created history in 2015 when becoming the first female rider to win the Melbourne Cup, is lined up to ride Ascot, although she appears unlikely to make Kaspersky’s planned prep in the Paradise Stakes in May.

Chapple-Hyam said: “I’ve been friends with Michelle Payne for about eight years now and when we caught up at the Australian tennis, I was looking for a Melbourne Cup horse.

“It is so expensive to buy a Cup horse now, though, so I called Michelle and said, ‘How about an Emirates Stakes horse instead?’.

“He arrived with us on Saturday and the plan is to run him in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot with Michelle coming over to ride him.

“We know he will be a 50-1 shot, but … he’s been third in a Group One and won a couple of Group Twos so he has some nice form in the book.

“I would like to give him a run in the Listed race at Ascot on May 3 first so he can get a feel of the track.

“Michelle has a big race in Australia on May 10 so she might not make it over, but plans do change. If she doesn’t come over, we will just use the best available on the day.

“After the Royal meeting, we’d be looking at Ascot again for the Summer Mile – I’ve been second in that before so it would be great to win it – then we’ll be packing him up for the Emirates Stakes at Flemington.

“I’m a Melbourne girl so to have a runner at the Cup Carnival would be amazing. I had Mull Of Killough placed in the Emirates Stakes (in 2013), so I would love to win it.”