Michelle Payne claims comeback win in Coleraine Cup

Michelle Payne has claimed her first win since returning to the saddle after a sickening injury which left the Melbourne Cup winning jockey hospitalised for weeks.

Payne rode Birds Of Tokyo to a classy front running victory in the Coleraine Cup for trainer Luke Oliver.

The win didn’t come without some drama when her mount appeared to lose it’s balance in the home straight and bounced of the rail.

Payne was able to balance the horse up and hang on for her first win in over 4 months.

The winner of the 2015 Melbourne Cup on Prince Of Penzance, Payne decided to make a comeback earlier this month and the Luke Oliver-trained Birds Of Tokyo was her sixth ride since that decision.

She was due to ride the mare in Adelaide eight days ago but Birds Of Tokyo had to be scratched when she pulled a shoe a couple of hours before the race.

Payne has also been granted a dual trainer/jockey licence which means she can ride the horses in her own stable.

Joining her team this week is Queen Of Zealand, a stakes-placed filly from New Zealand.

A possible Oaks contender, Queen Of Zealand ran third in a Listed 1200m-race at Wanganui earlier this month in which La Luna Rossa ran second.

La Luna Rossa enhanced that form when she finished second in Saturday’s Thousand Guineas Prelude at Caulfield.