Leading jockey Jamie Kah ruled out of Spring Carnival following suspension for COVID-19 breach
Jamie Kah, arguably Australia’s best jockey, has been banned from the Victorian Spring Racing Carnival over a COVID-19 protocol breach.
Key points:
- Kah, Ben Melham, Ethan Brown and apprentice jockey Celine Gaudray have been banned for three months
- All four were found to have breached Victoria’s COVID-19 protocols
- Their bans expire on November 25
Racing Victoria (RV) found Kah and fellow licensed jockeys Ben Melham and Ethan Brown, and apprentice jockey Celine Gaudray, breached Victoria’s coronavirus protocols and Melbourne’s night-time curfew.
They attended a gathering at a Mornington Airbnb after 9:00pm AEST on Wednesday.
All four jockeys, who pleaded guilty to their respective charges, have been banned for three months.
The bans came into effect on Thursday and will expire at midnight on November 25.
RV said stewards took their guilty pleas into consideration, in addition to their “personal circumstances” and the fact this was their “first offence of this nature”.
Stewards also acknowledged the riders expressed remorse for their actions.
“The stewards also took into consideration the serious nature of the offending, the potential severe ramifications that could flow from a breach of Racing Victoria’s COVID-19 protocols, and that the penalty must be sufficient enough to deter others from breaching the COVID-19 protocols,” an RV statement read.
“The penalty must also be seen to publicly address the seriousness of the offending and make clear that compliance with the COVID-19 protocols is non-negotiable.”
The riders each have a right of appeal, which must be lodged with the Victorian Racing Tribunal within three days.
Kah won the Melbourne Metropolitan Jockey Premiership last season with a record of 105 winners and finished third in the Melbourne Cup on Prince of Arran.
