Experts are divided as to whether jockey Jamie Kah should face punishment after Racing Victoria stewards launched an inquiry over her ride aboard Letsfacethemusic in the Gr3 McNeil Stakes at Caulfield last weekend.
The www.au.sports.yahoo.com website reports that Kah was third heading down the final straight on Saturday, but faded and only ended up fifth.
Replays showed the leading female jockey appeared to baulk when she had a decent gap that she could have pushed for in an attempt to win the race. Kah had been ill heading into the race, and the windy conditions may have played a part in her decision not to push for the gap when it opened up.
Kah suffered an awful fall during a race last year and was placed in an induced coma as a result. She missed months of action before making a successful return at the back end of 2023.
Considering how windy it was at Caulfield on Saturday and the age of some of the horses in the race, it would be understandable if Kah was somewhat gun-shy about taking on a narrow gap in unpredictable circumstances. Nevertheless, stewards have launched an inquiry to investigate whether Kah gave 100 per cent effort to try and win the race.
The inquiry has been adjourned until an unspecified date, but Kah is facing the possibility of being suspended for some or all of the Spring Carnival. Amid the controversy, some of the leading names in Australian racing have weighed in on the situation.
Legendary jockey Damien Oliver said on racing.com on Sunday: “You can see there is a run there at times for Jamie Kah to take. It was very windy there at Caulfield and you can see the horses were moving around a little bit. It looked like she could have shown a little bit more urgency to take that run. Jamie said later in the day she’d been a bit crook, and sometimes when that happens your decision-making is not as quick as it could be. It’s a split-second decision and when the horses are moving around and it’s windy, you’re not always certain how they’re going to react in front of you. So it’s easier to say it (there was a run) when you’re in here (the studio) than out there.”
Leading commentator Gareth Hall said on SEN radio on Tuesday that it all boils down to whether stewards deem the conditions to be a good enough reason for Kah not to take the opportunity that presented. Hall pointed out the official rules that state “a rider must take all reasonable and permissible measures throughout the race to ensure the rider’s horse is given full opportunity to win or obtain the best possible place.”
Hall said it was “understandable” to him that Kah didn’t take the run due to concerns over her safety because of the strong winds. He added: “The decision by RV stewards will have massive ramifications because it’s set to be the difference between having Kah be part of the spring or not…Kah is so valuable to the sport and one of only a few who can truly transcend the game.”
Ed – Kah is in the pink cap, yellow body, blue sleeves on the rail
Wayne Hawkes, John O’Neill and Samuel Hyland have also weighed in, pointing out that Kah has only received one suspension for careless riding in the last 12 months, and suggesting jockeys are well within their rights to hold reservations about their safety.
Pundits have been heavily divided on social media, although many would no doubt have had money on Letsfacethemusic, which might be clouding their judgment.
Kah has emerged as one of the leading jockeys in Australia in recent years, although her career has been plagued by controversy.
In December she was cleared of “conduct prejudicial to the image of racing” when she was photographed with a white substance and had the images circulated without her knowledge. She was previously suspended and missed Melbourne Cup day in 2021 for breaching Covid-19 rules when she attended a house party with other top jockeys.
