EMIRATES Melbourne Cup winner Prince Of Penzance returned to the racetrack at Morphettville on Saturday, running second in the Group 3 Lee Stakes over 1600 metres.

In what will be his only run before the spring, Prince Of Penzance, with Michelle Payne on board, charged from wide out to fail by just a half-length to peg back his stablemate, the Rock Hard Ten gelding Tonopah.

“It was a huge run, he even exceeded my expectations to the line,” said Payne, a point emphasised by trainer Darren Weir.

“He ran through the line terrific,” said Weir. “He will probably have a good break now, a couple of weeks, he and Tall Ship will go off to a water walker somewhere and have a couple of weeks of rest and relaxation with a bit of water walking every morning before they start their spring campaigns.”

INJURY

Just two days after reuniting with Prince Of Penzance, Michelle Payne was hospitalised after a fall from her brother Patrick’s horse at Mildura. Suffering abominable pains, she was airlifted to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, where she remains in a serious but stable condition.

Her sister Therese reported on Tuesday that the surgery went well. She will however miss the trip to Royal Ascot in June, and she is unable to fulfil rides in Switzerland later this year.

On the same day at Taree, 23-year-old Samantha Clenton suffered a fractured collarbone after her mount Bazza’s Boy fractured a leg and fell causing four other jockeys to be dislodged from their mounts.