Melbourne Cup icon Michelle Payne and her Cox Plate-winning brother Patrick have announced the end of their training partnership just days after a fatal road accident involving a truck driver and three of their horses.

Payne Racing was left devastated when Peter Butler died after the horse transport truck he was driving rolled onto its roof and went over an embankment in Meredith, 46km northwest of Geelong, on Monday morning.

Emergency services crews attempted to treat Butler at the scene but he could not be saved.

Payne Racing offered their “sincere condolences” to Butler’s family and friends on Tuesday.

On Friday night the Payne siblings announced they would be going their separate ways, with Patrick taking over the Plumpton operation and Michelle turning her attentions to family in Ballarat.

“We wish to inform you that Patrick and Michelle have decided to dissolve the current training partnership as of April 1, 2026,” the Payne Racing statement read.

“This has been a thoughtful decision made with the future in mind, and we are grateful for the support you have given us while training together.

“Michelle will be stepping back from the larger training operation to focus on a smaller team at home, working closer to her father and retaining a few horses in Ballarat.

“Patrick Payne Racing will continue as a full training operation, Patrick will remain in control of the horses at his current training property.

“Our priority is to make this transition as smooth and straightforward as possible for both owners and horses. Please contact us if any questions. Thank you sincerely for your ongoing support and trust in our stable.”

Michelle famously won the Melbourne Cup as a jockey in 2015, becoming the first woman to do so.

She nabbed her first win as a trainer in 2018 and only retired from riding in 2024 — the same year she first teamed up with Patrick after previously riding his horses to 94 wins.

The siblings will now split under tragic circumstances, having mourned the loss of Butler and their three horses earlier this week.

“Peter brought character and laughter to our jumpout mornings, and he will be sorely missed as a regular at our stable,” Payne Racing said.

“Our thoughts are with the team at South West Horse Transport, Peter’s work colleagues Troy, Bruce and Brooke.

“We would like to thank the emergency services and responders who attended the scene including Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, Country Fire Authority and SES volunteers and for the countless locals and members of the public who assisted at the scene.

“A special mention and thank you to the veterinarians and the entire team at Golden Plains Equine, we thank you for taking care of the six injured horses who survived.”

The stable also confirmed a third racehorse had died.

“We have now lost a total of three unraced horses, our heart goes out to the owners of those lost and to the owners of those whom were injured and still receiving care,” the statement read.

“We can assure all horses received the best of care and were attended to ASAP and we are truly grateful to everyone who assisted in making this possible.

“This accident has deeply impacted the entire team as well as the wider racing community and we thank you for your support.”

Police opened an investigation into the incident and WorkSafe were notified.

Michelle issued a personal statement on her own Instagram.

“Thank you for all the (messages) of support,” Payne wrote in a separate statement on her personal Instagram.

“Our prayers are with Pete and the Southwest Company who have done an amazing job for so many years and our hearts break for all their family.

“A tragic accident and awful for all.”