Top jockey Jamie Kah hailed as Australian racing’s new queen | Locker Room

In just over 10 years, the daughter of an Olympic speed skater has gone from being allowed to only ride at pony club, to the chosen one of Australian racing.

Not so long ago, Jamie Kah was told by her frightened mum that she wouldn’t be allowed to ride a racehorse.

Now the 25-year-old jockey, ranked the number one female rider in the world last year, is being hailed as Australian racing’s “Next Gai Waterhouse.’’

In just over 10 years, the daughter of a winter Olympic speed skater from South Australia has gone from being allowed to only ride at pony club, to the chosen one.

Racing’s new Gai.

It’s a stunning statement, at an extraordinary time for the sport.

Many throughout the industry are convinced that race fields, on the back of the foundation laid by Group One-winning riders Michelle Payne, Clare Lindop, Kathy O’Hara, Linda Meech, Katelyn Mallyon and elevated by Kah and Sydney’s own star Rachel King — Saturday’s hat-trick hero at Rosehill — will be dominated by women within the next decade.

“There‘s more females coming through the apprentice jockey ranks than males,’’ Racing NSW CEO Peter V’landys said.

Which is to say, no other sport in the country has what racing has, or is on the verge of.

But back to the anointing of Kah.

Jamie Kah after winning Schweppes Rubiton Stakes aboard Prophet's Thumb at Caulfield Racecourse on February 06, 2021 in Caulfield, Australia. (/Racing Photos)

Even those mysterious folk, those mates that we all have, who don’t know their Esk from their Moe and who would prefer to perform open heart surgery than attempt to fill out a TAB ticket, can understand that Kah must be something uniquely special for multiple Group One-winning trainer Peter Moody to make this defining claim.

“Jamie Kah is the new Gai Waterhouse of racing,” Moody said this week.

“Racing needs to market her and it needs to protect her — it needs to look after her because she’s a quiet country girl.

“But then it needs to work out a way how she’s going to promote and enhance our sport.

“She’s as good as any horse, any person, for the promotion of our sport that’s going around and has gone around for a long time.

“Half the population is female, we need to promote them (female jockeys). We need to get them in love with racing.

“Gai did it for a number of years and with all respect to Gai, she’s the senior stateswoman of our sport.

“But she’s not going to be around forever, so racing needs to harness young girls, like Jamie, to show what girls can do in our industry.’’

Gai Waterhouse has been at the pinnacle of Australian racing for some time. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Sydney racing fans can only hope that COVID-19 doesn‘t stop Kah from travelling up from Melbourne for the Autumn Carnival.

If she does, get on.

Right now, Kah is riding more winners at a rate that no other female jockey in the history of the sport has achieved.

The best judges are convinced she’s the best jockey in Australia.

Kah stands top of the leaderboard in the Victoria metropolitan jockeys championship with 65 wins — a massive 25 wins clear of champion jockey Damien Oliver.

She has more than five months to ride the 35 winners she needs to break Brett Prebble’s record of 99 ½ winners set in the 1999/00 season.

Even Prebble knows his 21-year reign is already over.

“Anybody that doesn’t think that is kidding themselves,’’ he said.

With every win, Kah is shifting the landscape of the sport of kings, to the sport of queens.

Trainers — and most importantly punters — are backing female jockeys to boot their horses home like never before.

The naturally slighter build of women makes it less taxing for females to ride at lighter weights compared to that of their more muscular male rivals. It’s a contributing factor in the appeal of trainers appointing female jockeys.

Jamie Kah is shifting the landscape of racing. Picture: Reg Ryan/Getty Images

But so too is the change in training and racing styles, which is progressively moving away from a by-gone era of ‘bash and barge’ and aggressive race response methods, including the new use of padded whips and ever-tightening whip rules.

So too, trainers are using chiropractic and physiotherapy sessions for horses as well as sports science and load measurements to prepare their charge for a race.

The evolution of the sport favours those who ride with a stern hand, poise and intuition as opposed to old-school brawn, muscle and bravado.

Emma Freedman has grown-up around horses and racing her whole life, both as a talented media commentator and the daughter of five-times Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Lee.

Freedman said Kah was a class above for a reason.

“She’s genuinely the best jockey in the country,’’ Freedman said.

“The way she rides is just incredible. She’s got a beautiful style about her, she’s so balanced, she’s so in control.

“You can watch a race and of course you can’t pick a gender of a jockey during the run, but you can pick which one Jamie is on because of her style.

“She has the ability to hold her nerve and perform in that same physical way as the blokes.’’

Just last week, champion trainer Chris Waller needed a rider for his brilliant sprinter, Nature Strip.

Jamie Kah rides Nature Strip to victory in the Black Caviar Lightning at Flemington. Picture: Reg Ryan/Getty Images

He gave the owners three options. They only wanted Kah.

When Waller called her, he said: “Don’t be excited to be riding for me, it’s me who is excited that you’re riding for us.’’

Together they won the Group One Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington.

“Twenty years ago there’s no way that would have happened that a leading trainer would chase a female jockey to win a Group One,” legendary racing journalist Kenny Callander said.

“Bart Cummings and TJ Smith would’ve thought of putting on a girl as much as you’d think of putting a girl on the wing for Parramatta.

“But attitudes have shifted and with Kah doing what she’s doing, this is just the beginning.’’

Originally published as Top jockey Jamie Kah hailed as Australian racing’s new queen | Locker Room