A former SA champion jockey saddled the winner of Australia’s oldest classic, the Gr1 A$1.5 million AAMI Victoria Derby at Flemington on Saturday in front of a crowd of over 87 000 people.
David Payne – a major success in Australia
“I’ve been trying for years to win this race – Praecido ran second, Criterion drew wide, Honorius wasn’t quite good enough – I’m getting older and I thought my chance might have gone,’’ David Payne said afterwards in his 15th year of training Down Under.
Ace High, an A$130,000 Magic Millions purchase, overcame a muddling pace to give Payne his 108th major and proved himself the best stayer of his generation and joins Stylish Century (1989), Nothin’ Leica Dane (1995) and Monaco Consul (2009) as the only winners of the Spring Champion Stakes-Victoria Derby double.
Ace High gave jockey Tye Angland the 9th Gr1 success of his career as he produced one of the strongest staying performances in a Victoria Derby for many years to cover extra ground but still storm past his rivals in the straight to win by two lengths from Sully with Astoria a half neck away third.
“Ace High’s owner, John Cordina, loves his racing and he won’t retire this colt to stud,’’ Payne said. “I’ve never had a Melbourne Cup runner but if Ace High is fit and will, we will be back here next year. Why not? We won’t die wondering.’’
In Full Flight, with Fernando Toro in the saddle is led in by David Payne
David Payne was apprenticed to Herman Brown Snr at age 15 and twice became SA Champion jockey before weight forced him to hang up his boots and go into training after riding 399 winners.
He commenced his training career in 1972 at the age of only 24.
The great In Full Flight
An early career highlight for Payne was his association with In Full Flight, a colt he trained to victory in six Gr1 races including the Champion Stakes and the Queen’s Plate
Training here for over 30 years, Payne achieved a feat rarely matched by any other – training the winners of every Gr1 race held in South Africa.
Having also trained the winners of 100 individual Gr1 races in South Africa, he is the only person to ride and train a winner of the Durban July Handicap.
He moved to Australia in 2002 with his family.
