Her husband Dennis gave her a share in a thoroughbred yearling filly from the David Hayes stable back in 2013.

That filly, Miss Idyllic, lines up in the $2m Magic Millions 2yo Classic, 1200m.

Not only is she chasing the $1.14m stakemoney which goes to the winner, Miss Idyllic is also eligible for part of a $500,000 bonus.

The bonus will be broken up among the first four all-female raced starters across the line – the first of them past the post collecting $325,000.

Janice is part of an all-female ownership group, which was formed with the Magic Millions bonus in mind.

Dennis Foley, who also has interests in other horses in the David Hayes-Tom Dabernig stable, does not believe a wide draw will have too much impact on Miss Idyllic’s chances.

She drew barrier 19, but with all five emergencies getting gates on her inside it is not quite as bad as it initially appears.

He is predicting the Gai Waterhouse-trained Carriages, which won the Magic Millions 2yo Clockwise Classic on Ballarat Cup Day, will cross the field from a wider draw and allow Miss Idyllic to trail her forward.

Miss Idyllic is still a maiden, with three seconds in her four starts to date.

She finished second on debut in the listed Debutante Stakes at Caulfield in October and in her latest run was second at Rosehill on December 20 – an outing which provided invaluable experience racing clockwise.

MICHELLE Payne will link up with champion trainer Gai Waterhouse for the first time at Flemington on Saturday.

Payne will ride stayer Hippopus in the Comedy King Handicap, 1600m.

“I was really excited to get the call up and I’m looking forward to riding it well and hopefully getting some more mounts off her,” Payne said.

“Obviously everybody admires her as a trainer and what she has done as a female trainer ... and it’s just going to be great to have the opportunity to ride for her.”

Payne rode work for the Waterhouse stable for the first time on Thursday, but the Hippopus ride came out of the blue.

“I was going to ride a horse for her on Melbourne Cup Day in a two-year-old race last year,” she said.

“That was going to be my first ride for her, but I got suspended in the Moonee Valley Cup on Cox Plate Day so I missed out on that day,” Payne said.

Hippopus has not won since the 2013 VRC St Leger.

DARREN Weir remains hot on the tail of Melbourne metropolitan trainers’ premiership leaders David Hayes and Tom Dabernig.

The Hayes-Dabernig combination has 37 wins – one more than Weir.

Peter Moody is next on 30, while Robert Smerdon’s Caulfield/Ballarat stable is fourth on 20.

The battle at the top will continue in earnest at Flemington on Saturday, when Hayes-Dabernig have seven starters and Weir also seven.

With Weir’s reputation for resurrecting gallopers’ careers continuing to grow, he saddles up another newcomer on the comeback trail.

Former Queenslander Shamardashing will be first-up since June, 2013, in the Comedy King Handicap.

The eight-year-old was previously prepared by John P Thompson and in his latest run finished sixth in the Brisbane Cup.

Shamardashing, which has won eight of 40 starts, is well travelled with an extended stint racing in New South Wales and also a West Australian campaign in which he contested the 2013 Perth Cup.

The 2012 listed Grafton Cup is his biggest win to date.

Weir also has Warrnambool Cup winner Akzar, which is Adelaide Cup bound, engaged in the same event at Flemington.

IT was not jockey John Allen’s day in Ballarat on Thursday.

He was suspended and tipped out of the saddle.

Stewards suspended the Ballarat hoop for eight meetings – two metropolitan and six provincial – after finding him guilty of careless riding on Traveling Wilbury in the Porter Plant Maiden, 2200m. He pleaded guilty.

The suspension runs from midnight on Sunday until midnight on Sunday, January 18.

Allen was later dislodged when Coghills Creek reared at the start of the Hygain Benchmark64 Handicap, 1400m.

david.brehaut@fairfaxmedia.com.au