MELBOURNE • Michelle Payne, the first woman jockey to ride a Melbourne Cup winner, has been stood down after failing a doping test, racing stewards said yesterday.
She had tested positive for Phentermine, a banned appetite suppressant, after submitting a urine sample at a regional meeting in Swan Hill in Australia's southern state of Victoria on June 11.
Racing Victoria (RV) stewards will conduct an inquiry into the results, the state authority said in a statement.
"Stewards have received a report from Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) confirming the presence of Phentermine... in the sample provided," RV said.
"Ms Payne was advised of (the) findings and stood down from riding in races and trackwork by stewards on 23 June 2017."
Payne, from a family steeped in racing, shot to international fame in 2015 when she won the 155-year-old Melbourne Cup, Australia's richest and most famous horse race.
The trailblazing ride on Prince of Penzance - a 100-1 outsider - earned her the Don Award last year, the nation's top prize for sporting achievement.
The Australian's remarks to local broadcaster Channel Seven after the race also went down in sporting folklore, as she spoke of her battle for respect in a "chauvinist" industry.
"I want to say to everyone else, get stuffed, because women can do anything and we can beat the world," she said.
She had surgery after a heavy fall during a ride in Mildura last year and had a long period of rehabilitation before returning to the track last September.
Last week, she rode Kaspersky to a fifth-place finish in the Group One Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
