Michelle Payne became the fourth member of her family to either ride or train the winner of the Bendigo Cup when she guided the Mick Kent-trained Banana Man to victory in the Listed feature.She emulated her sister Therese Patton who won the race on Flying Eskimo, trained by their father Paddy Payne in 1987, while brother Patrick Payne won the race on Ice Doctor in 1994.Payne allowed Banana Man ($4.80) to stride up in the early stages and sit second behind leader Captious who won the event last y
Michelle Payne became the fourth member of her family to either ride or train the winner of the Bendigo Cup when she guided the Mick Kent-trained Banana Man to victory in the Listed feature.
She emulated her sister Therese Patton who won the race on Flying Eskimo, trained by their father Paddy Payne in 1987, while brother Patrick Payne won the race on Ice Doctor in 1994.
Payne allowed Banana Man ($4.80) to stride up in the early stages and sit second behind leader Captious who won the event last year.
The $2.70 favourite Imvula raced past Banana Man in the straight and looked set to win but Banana Man kicked back strongly to score by a nose.
Butwaittheresmore ($12) flew home late to finish three-quarters of a length away third in front of stablemate Glistening ($10) who also made ground late.
"The other horse (Imvula) got a head in front of me halfway down the straight and with my big horse all you can do is keep him going and hope for the best and thank God he toughed it out well," Payne said.
"We were hoping to be fifth or sixth with a bit of cover but I was going to be caught wide and he was comfortable striding forward at his own leisure so I let him get in his comfort zone and away he went.
"He's still a big baby. He's going to be better next year, he's doing it on raw talent."
Kent backed up Banana Man in the $150,000 race over 2400m after he finished a solid third to Road To Rock in the Chris Isaak Hcp (2000m) at Flemington last Saturday.
The five-year-old, by Makybe Diva's sire Desert King out of the Kaapstad mare Chinju, was bred and is raced by Samantha Pelly who Payne thanked for sticking with her.
Payne has been on the lightly-raced stayer in all but two of his 14 starts and has been aboard him in each of his five wins.
Banana Man showed promise last summer when he won over 2100m at Sandown and finished fourth to subsequent Moonee Valley Cup winner Gallopin in the Bagot Hcp (2500m) at Flemington on January 1 after which he was spelled and set for the spring.
After winning second-up over 2040m at Moonee Valley he didn't measure up in races such as The Bart Cummings (2500m), finishing ninth to Light Vision, and the Geelong Cup (2400m), running eighth to subsequent Melbourne Cup runner-up Bauer.
Earlier Deedra, a half-sister to Group One winners Tuesday Joy and Sunday Joy, broke through for her first win at just her second start in the Schweppes Maiden Plate (1600m).
The Zabeel four-year-old, previously with the Clarry Conners stable, is now prepared by John Sadler for Lloyd Williams and his wife and son Nick and the Strawberry Hill Stud Syndicate managed by her breeder John Singleton.
Ridden by Eddie Cassar, Deedra ($4.60) led all the way to score by 1-1/4 lengths from At The Crease.
"She's learning still but she'll go a long way," Cassar said.
"There's quite a bit to come yet. This was only her second start so she can only go forward from here I hope."
Her dam Joie Denise, by Danehill, won the 1995 Queensland Oaks and went on to produce Tuesday Joy, winner of The BMW, Ranvet Stakes and Coolmore Classic, and AJC Australian Oaks winner Sunday Joy.