Injuries sustained by Michelle Payne in Sunday’s Donald race fall have cost her a trip to Berlin to ride in a race for Arabian horses in June.
Payne, 26, was home resting at home on Monday after spending the night in a Ballarat hospital having suffered five fractured vertebrae, two broken ribs and bruising to the face and chest.
“She had a really big opportunity coming up,” Payne’s manager Phillip Roost said.
“She was invited to the National Arabian Racehorse Association seminar to represent female riders of the world in June and to ride in the race on June 10 but she won’t be able to do that now.
“She was looking forward to it.”
Victorian Jockeys’ Association executive Des O’Keeffe said Payne needed six weeks of absolute rest before beginning rehabilitation in late June.
“She has five fractures to the vertebrae all of which were stable, none of which were displaced and no surgery was required,” he said
“She also has two broken ribs and general bruising and scratching.”
Roost said the four-time Group One winning jockey was not expected to ride until next season which begins on August 1.
Her mount El Devine knuckled over coming out of the barriers in the opening race at Donald, tossing her over his head.
Payne was treated at Donald Hospital before being transferred to Ballarat on Sunday.
She had been on track to have her best season numbers-wise having ridden 64 winners in Victoria, 10 of them in the metropolitan area.
