Rhiannon Payne's biggest fan on hand for victory

By Jordan Gerrans

Returning hoop Rhiannon Payne had extra incentive to smile at Charleville on Saturday afternoon.

The 32-year-old booted home her first winner in a year after an extended period on the sidelines through injury.

And, on hand at Central Warrego Race Club on Saturday was Payne’s young son Corey.

Corey is nearing two years of age and while he has been on track before to see his Mum collect a victory, he is now getting to the age where he understands what it all means.

Young Corey does not often head to the races with his Mum, instead staying at home with a baby sitter most of the time.

“He was there very early on after I rode winners not long after he was born,” Payne said.

“But, that would be the first time he had been there and been old enough to know which one I was and see me.

“He was happy to see me and happy to be there.

“It is always good to have him there with my first rides back and he got to see me having my first winner back.”

Asked how she managed a young baby on top of her recovery from her injury, Payne said she got through it all with ‘a lot of help’ from others.

The Darling Downs-based hoop got back in the saddle not long after Corey’s birth but was quickly sent back to the sidelines following an unfortunate incident at Clifford Park on Melbourne Cup day last year.

She suffered a serious back and leg injury, which required surgeries.

The victory at Charleville on Saturday came almost 12 months to the day since Payne’s last winner, which came at Toowoomba on October 29 of 2022.

It took just two race meeting's for Payne to nab her first winner back.

She rode at Mitchell earlier this month before scoring in the opening event at Charleville on Saturday aboard Mr Demolition for trainer Carmel Baker in a Class B Handicap over 1000 metres.  

“It was absolutely brilliant,” the returning rider said of the win.

“Carmel Baker has been a really big support of mine, she has pretty much adopted me and my son as part of the family.

“She is a pretty good track work rider and she is a pretty good judge, Carmel.

“She said to me on Friday night that she thought the horse would give me a good ride on Saturday and she would have been surprised if he did not win.

“She is a good judge.”

As Payne builds momentum in her riding following the extended lay-off's, she is hopeful of riding at Dalby this Saturday before taking rides at Kumbia on Melbourne Cup day and then on to Chinchilla the following Saturday.

Payne has two city winners on her resume from earlier in her career.

Also at Charleville on Saturday, fellow Darling Downs hoop Shannon Apthorpe collected a winning double on the program.