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Jockey Michelle Payne In A Serious But Stable Condition

The 2015 Melbourne-Cup winner has undergone surgery on her abdomen.
Payne tweeted this picture of her injured abdomen.
Michelle Payne/Twitter
Payne tweeted this picture of her injured abdomen.

Melbourne Cup-winning jockey, Michelle Payne, remains in a serious but stable condition after undergoing surgery on her abdomen on Tuesday at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.

Payne fell from Dutch Courage, a horse trained by her brother Patrick, at a Mildura race meet on Monday.

Complaining of severe abdominal pain, she was flown to the Alfred Hospital after being attended by paramedics at the scene of the incident.

The Victorian Jockeys' Association chief executive, Des O'Keeffe, has said that Payne will remain in hospital for at least a week, racing.com reports.

"They conducted a number of scans here today, and decided surgery was the best option for her," O'Keeffe said on Tuesday.

"That surgery's gone well, it was successful. Hopefully the recovery from a fit, young athlete starts really well tonight.

"She's heavily sedated at the moment. I'm sure she has mixed feelings -- happy realising it could've been a lot worse, but also bitterly disappointed given the work she's put in."

O'Keeffe also confirmed that Payne's overseas engagements will now be put on hold.

The 30-year-old was set to make her debut at Royal Ascot next month and also had plans to ride in Ireland, Sweden and France in the coming months.

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