PAYNE WILL MISS RIDE ON KASPERSKY

MICHELLE PAYNE will complete her ill-fated working holiday in Britain without taking a single mount after the Melbourne Cup heroine yesterday revealed she will not partner Kaspersky in the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.

Payne (above) rode the six-year-old, trained by her fellow Melburnian Jane Chapple-Hyam – who is eyeing a clash with Aussie superstar Winx in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in October – into fifth in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

But the 31-year-old, the victim of a mystery illness when ruled out of Saturday’s Shergar Cup, said: “I’m feeling a lot better but having missed five days and having been sick is not the ideal preparation.

“The horse needs the best chance of winning on Saturday so he can be invited to run in the Cox Plate, therefore Martin Harley, who has ridden Kaspersky before, has been booked.”

THE British Horseracing Authority are to stop no-hopers running in Group One races by introducing a minimum official rating of 80 to run at the top level.

It follows the controversy over 1,000-1 shot Diore Lia’s intended appearance in the Derby in June.

The BHA prevented apprentice Gina Mangan from taking the ride but were powerless to stop Diore Lia running. However, the filly was eventually ruled out due to injury.