‘I’d love to win the Melbourne Cup’: Jamie Kah’s Spring Carnival dream
She just fell short of a Cox Plate victory, but Jamie Kah now has her sights set on the biggest prize of this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Victoria
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Top jockey Jamie Kah has her sights set on the biggest prize of this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival: winning the race that stops a nation.
“I’d love to win the Lexus Melbourne Cup, it’s every jockey’s dream,” she said.
“Honestly though, any win during the Melbourne Cup Carnival would be an achievement.
“But everyone in the world seems to know about the Melbourne Cup, which makes it the best race to be a part of.”
The 26-year-old is set to ride the Ciaron Maher-trained Smokin’ Romans in the prized race.
The pair will need to improve on their seventh-place finish in the Caulfield Cup for Kah to become the second female jockey to claim a Melbourne Cup victory, following Michelle Payne on Prince of Penzance in 2015.
Heading into the Spring Racing Carnival, Kah had also set herself the lofty aim of becoming the first woman to win the Cox Plate. But she fell just short on Annabel Neasham’s Zaaki to claim fourth on Saturday, behind hot favourite and eventual winner Anamoe.
“I’m feeling great. I’ve had a good lead up to the Melbourne Cup Carnival – the highlight so far would be winning the Group 1 Moir Stakes (at The Valley in September),” she said.
“I’ve been lucky enough to sit on a number of nice gallopers in the lead up to the Cup.”
Kah – who became the first person to win 100 metropolitan races in a calendar year in 2021 – finished third on Prince of Arran in her first Melbourne Cup in 2020. A three-month suspension saw her miss last year’s carnival.
She will help launch this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival as a Victoria Racing Club ambassador, at an event at Flemington on October 24.
Kah will join fellow VRC ambassadors, Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus and champion trainer Gai Waterhouse, as well as Hall of Fame jockey Damien Oliver at the event, to be hosted by Channel 10’s Eddie McGuire and Francesca Cumani.
It will form part of a “hectic start” to a big week for Kah.
“I wake up at about 3.30am to ride track work every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and tomorrow (Tuesday) I’ll be at Flemington riding most of my Cup Week horses in their final preparations,” she said.
“Then it’s home to look after all of my horses and animals at the farm (on the Mornington Peninsula).” These include her beloved retired racehorses, Dollars and Brax.
Her VRC ambassador duties will also include attending the Kennedy Oaks Club Lunch.
“It’s a nice change to dress up and experience the other side of racing, while sharing my love of horses,” Kah said.
Originally published as ‘I’d love to win the Melbourne Cup’: Jamie Kah’s Spring Carnival dream
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