Michelle Payne will ride Capecover in this week's Mornington Cup which will determine an Auckland Cup start for the gelding.Payne's brother Patrick is training the six-year-old New Zealander who remained in Australia after his spring campaign.The winner of the Group Two Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2500m) at Flemington in November joined the Payne stable a few weeks ago.He returned from an 11-week break with a sixth under 60kg to De Mars in the Woodend Cup (2000m) on February 1.Michelle Payne's assoc
Michelle Payne will ride Capecover in this week's Mornington Cup which will determine an Auckland Cup start for the gelding.
Payne's brother Patrick is training the six-year-old New Zealander who remained in Australia after his spring campaign.
The winner of the Group Two Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2500m) at Flemington in November joined the Payne stable a few weeks ago.
He returned from an 11-week break with a sixth under 60kg to De Mars in the Woodend Cup (2000m) on February 1.
Michelle Payne's association with Capecover goes back to his win in the Tokyo City Cup at Morphettville in September.
"Depending on how he runs in the Mornington Cup, he could go back to New Zealand to run in the Auckland Cup," Payne said.
The Group One Auckland Cup (3200m) is run at Ellerslie on March 4.
Capecover is the second top weight with 58kg in the $200,000 Listed Mornington Cup (2000m) in which the Mick Kent-trained Banana Man is topweight with 58.5kg.
Banana Man, a last start 2000m winner at Caulfield, is Adelaide Cup bound.
The five-year-old was ridden to victory by Payne in the Bendigo Cup (2400m) last spring.
The jockey has had a frustrating year to date as a 16-meeting careless riding suspension cost her a first Group One success on Sir Slick in the Thorndon Mile at Trentham.
Payne had been riding the Graham Nicholson-trained seven-year-old in his Melbourne stint and was devastated to have to forfeit the ride to David Walsh.
Payne also missed the winning mount on the Mick Kent-trained Fair Trade in the Group Three C S Hayes Stakes at Flemington due to the suspension.
She had won on the three-year-old gelding at Flemington at his debut on January 17, but apprentice Nick Hall replaced her in the Hayes.
She also has a big decision to make this week having been offered mounts for the Bart Cummings stable in Sydney on Saturday, the same day Rok Posta runs in the Carlyon Cup at Caulfield.
Payne's association with the master trainer has been highlighted by her recent win in God's Hand at Caulfield following two thirds on the gelding.
Payne won the Listed Manifold Stakes on the Nikki Burke-trained Rok Posta in January.