Star of Australian racing Jamie Kah says she has too many goals still to achieve in the sport, despite giving serious consideration to handing in her jockey’s licence following last year’s suspension for breaching COVID-19 restrictions.
Ahead of Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup, which will be the second time Kah rides in the great race, the 2020-21 Victorian metropolitan premiership-winning jockey said she had learnt to manage the media circus that has followed her successes and failures.
Jamie Kah poses with the Melbourne Cup ahead of her second ride in the race.Credit:Darrian Traynor
The 26-year-old rose to prominence during her record-breaking season in the saddle, which included a win in the 2021 group 1 Lightning Stakes on Nature Strip.
But her three-month suspension for attending an Airbnb during COVID-19 lockdowns and after Melbourne’s curfew brought unwanted media attention her way.
“There was a stage where I was probably thinking about not doing it any more and if I wanted to keep riding,” Kah told The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald.
“It was [pretty serious], just the pressure getting to you and the people writing articles and the media, it was probably tipping me over the edge a bit.
“Racing makes everyone grow up really quickly. I started when I was 16, that’s when I had my first race ride, so I had to grow up pretty quick. But it’s definitely made me have a different perspective on life in general, and work. It’s definitely made me change my mind on a few things.
“I’m also very determined to tick off a few more things on the bucket list, like, I won’t be retiring any time soon, so I really want to make sure I can do everything I’ve set myself goals to.”
Fellow jockeys Mark Zahra, Ben Melham, Ethan Brown and Celine Gaudray were also banned from riding last spring for attending the Airbnb party, but it was Kah who wore most of the scrutiny.
Kah didn’t watch last year’s Cup, instead deciding to take her dog for a walk along the beach, but she’s surrounded herself with a select group of supporters to help her make a successful return to the saddle.
Kah will partner with Smokin’ Romans in Tuesday’s Cup.Credit:Getty Images
And her ponies back home – up to 30 of them, including her old sparring partner Dollar For Dollar – have been instrumental in improving her mental health.
“A day without riding horses is a bad day for me, so it’s something that keeps me sane, keeps me happy,” Kah said.
“I think they brought my love for it back, and kept me going through that tough time.
“It’s my happy place, to go home and just be away from people and everything going on, and just being able to ride my horses, it’s very important to me.”
While Kah has ridden in the Cup before – in 2020 on Prince Of Arran, who ran third – it was Dollar For Dollar who provided her with a career highlight on Cup Day, when the former Tony McEvoy-trained sprinter-miler travelled with Kah from Adelaide to win at Flemington.
“He sort of brought me to Melbourne, like, I wouldn’t have had many races in Melbourne,” she reflected.
“I might have had a few at Moonee Valley, but here on Cup Day, I felt like I had won the Melbourne Cup. It was just an amazing experience. He was a very special horse to me, and now he gets to live out his life out at my place with me.”
Her targets have since been raised, and despite being unplaced in the Caulfield Cup on favourite Smokin’ Romans and in the Cox Plate on Zaaki, Kah’s hopes of winning a major race one day haven’t been dented.
“They’re so hard to win,” she said, ahead of reuniting with Smokin’ Romans in the Melbourne Cup.
“I had a few nice-ish chances this year, but it’s not as easy as just getting on a favourite and winning a race. Things like the Melbourne Cup, anything can happen. All these feature races, it’s hard, but that’s definitely something I want to tick off before I retire.”
Kah has also retained ambitions of heading to the Olympics one day and representing Australia in equestrian, following a similar path as her parents John and Karen, who were Olympic speed skaters.
“It’s definitely a dream,” she said.
“You need the right horse to get there; it’s not as easy as picking a horse and training and going there. It’s definitely a dream and anything can happen, hopefully one day it can become a reality.”
As for managing media attention, Kah said she had definitely struck a better balance. Standing alongside champion Damien Oliver at last week’s Cup carnival launch, she said she still had to pinch herself at the fortunate position she’s in.
“You ride against guys like Damien Oliver through the week, and you don’t think anything of it. But then you’re standing there next to him and reminded of the story of what he’s accomplished and been through in his life,” she said.
“Cup week brings so many amazing people together and some of the stories from it are amazing. I’m sure there will be a few more stories this year as well.”
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