Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne, who on Thursday was suspended for four weeks after testing positive to a banned substance, admitted to Racing Victoria investigators that she had used the drug to "maintain her weight level".
Payne pleaded guilty to the breach of Australian rule of racing 81B, after she was stood down from riding on June 23 when Phentermine was found in a urine sample she gave stewards. Phentermine is a substance used as an appetite suppressant.
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Jockey Michelle Payne under investigation
Racing Victoria launches an investigation into star jockey Michelle Payne after she tested positive for a banned substance.
Payne said she felt that she had let her vast following down.
"I would like to make it clear that I take full responsibility for what has happened today," Payne said. "The onus is 100 per cent with me as a rider to know what I am taking, and the rules around it – regardless whether it has been prescribed to me or not.
![Full responsibility: Michelle Payne has been suspended after being found guilty of taking a banned substance.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170630014606im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/0/w/u/a/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gx0wx6.png/1498713875508.jpg)
"I regret not seeking more guidance and making certain that any treatment would lead to a breach of the rules and why we are here today. I wasn't thorough and that is completely my fault. My sincere apologies go out to everyone that this has happened to in the manner it has.
"I accept the stewards decision and appreciate it's in keeping with other penalties with riders in breach of this rule."
Payne's legal team had told Racing Victoria investigators that Payne's suspension should only be for the period she had already served since she was stood down on June 23, considering her faultless record.
A legal spokesman for Payne said that "medical circumstances" were the reason that Payne had resorted to Phentermine following a nasty fall at Mildura in May last year.
As a result, her doctor prescribed Phentermine to help treat gastrointestinal symptoms. Payne said that she had used Phentermine "from time to time" when she was not riding but said it was for medical reasons as well as keeping her weight under control.
Suspension for breaches of this nature range from four to six weeks and chairman of stewards, Robert Cram, said that he had taken into account Payne's guilty plea, her remorse, her good record in this area and the medical circumstances involved, when it came to deciding on the penalty.
Payne admitted that she'd taken Phentermine on the Thursday night after the Sale races and four days before her positive sample.
However, the day before Payne was discovered with the substance in her system she rode her brother's horse Invincible Al at her lightest weight for some time at 54.5kilograms on the Saturday.
The horse won and it was the 31-year-old's only ride for the day. When Payne arrived at Swan Hill the next day the jockey still had the appetite suppressant in her system.
Payne is now free to ride in the rich Shergar Cup Series at Royal Ascot on August 12.
She was unable to take part last year after suffering shocking injuries in a race fall.