Star jockey Jamie Kah has revealed she nearly gave up her career in horse racing after she was suspended last year for breaching Covid-19 restrictions.
On Tuesday Kah will ride in her second Melbourne Cup on Smokin’ Romans after she was suspended for three months during the 2021 spring carnival and missed last year’s race.
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Kah and other jockeys Mark Zahra, Ben Melham, Ethan Brown and Celine Gaudray were banned from riding for attending a gathering at a Morning Airbnb after Melbourne’s curfew.
The 26-year-old emerged as a rising star in a record breaking 2021 season in which she won 100 races in metropolitan Victoria.
Kah said intense media scrutiny in the wake of her ban nearly made her hang up the saddle for good.
“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.
“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.”
Kah chose not to watch last year’s Melbourne Cup but has made a successful return to racing during this year’s spring carnival.
Smokin Romans’, trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustance, will start from barrier 16 in the Melbourne Cup.
Deauville Legend is the favourite to win the Cup, with 24 horses set to do battle over the famous two-mile journey at Flemington.
The track is likely to be in the soft or heavy range, with rain and low temperatures forecast in the lead-up and on race day.
The race is set to get underway at 3pm (AEDT) on Tuesday November 1 and can be watched on Channel 10.
