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Michelle Payne Had To 'Google' Melbourne Cup Victory After Fall Last Month

"When I did come to in the ambulance, I couldn't remember winning the Melbourne Cup."
Michelle Payne lost her memory after falling from Dutch Courage at a Mildura race meet last month.
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Michelle Payne lost her memory after falling from Dutch Courage at a Mildura race meet last month.

Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne lost her memory and had to Google her historic win after falling at a Mildura race meet last month.

Payne fell from Dutch Courage, a horse trained by her brother Patrick, during race seven on May 23 and was airlifted to Melbourne's Alfred Hospital.

"I must have got knocked out and when I did come to in the ambulance, I couldn't remember winning the Melbourne Cup and I had to Google it," Payne told radio station RSN in her first interview since leaving hospital.

Thirty-year-old Payne said she has no recollection of hitting the ground during the accident.

"I remember falling and I remember thinking I held on too long... I was too far gone and around the horse's neck, which put me in a position to fall underneath her and she did run over me," Payne said.

Payne was released from The Alfred on Wednesday after undergoing pancreatic surgery as a result of the fall.

"They were able to save the three quarters that was severed off and sew it to my stomach.

"Obviously it was pretty big surgery and in the first week I was in a lot of pain and pretty sick but it's amazing how your body can heal. I've come a long way since then and the doctors expect it to progress really well," Payne said.

Payne said she will give herself four to six weeks to recover before making a decision about her future in horse racing.

"If I do want to make a comeback it takes a lot of dedication and a lot of energy to do that so I've got to really want to put everything into it so I just want to make sure I'm definitely 100 percent when I do make that decision," she said.

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