Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne has been ruled out of Royal Ascot after undergoing surgery following a fall at Mildura racecourse on Monday.
Payne, who secured a famous Flemington success aboard Prince Of Penzance last November, had been due to ride at the Royal meeting as well as the Shergar Cup event at Ascot in August as part of a European stint this summer.
However, those plans are now cancelled after she sustained an injury when unshipped from Dutch Courage, trained by her brother, Patrick, in a five-furlong sprint at the Victoria track.
The jockey was initially taken to Mildura Base Hospital before being transferred to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, where further tests prompted surgery.
Victorian Jockeys' Association CEO Des O'Keefe told www.racing.com: "She was transferred from Mildura last night to the Alfred. The Alfred has conducted a number of scans on her today and have performed some surgery on her abdomen.
"That surgery has been successful and Michelle will be remaining in hospital for at least a week, perhaps more. She's in a serious but stable condition."
Payne is expected to be sidelined for a number of weeks and O'Keefe confirmed her Ascot plans were on hold.
He added: "It will be a number of weeks (before her return) one would think after surgery that was significant.
"She had rides booked at Royal Ascot, she was in the Shergar Cup and she was ready to ride in Sweden as well, which I know she was really looking forward to."
