Top jockey Jamie Kah to face Victorian Racing Tribunal to answer charge over McNeil Stakes ride

Champion jockey Jamie Kah will face the Victorian Racing Tribunal to answer a charge relating to her ride on Let’sfacethemusic in the Group 3 McNeil Stakes at Caulfield on August 31.

Star jockey Jamie Kah will appear before the Victorian Racing Tribunal to answer a serious charge on a date to be fixed. Picture: George Sal / Racing Photos

Star jockey Jamie Kah will face the Victorian Racing Tribunal to answer a charge over her ride in last month’s Group 3 McNeil Stakes at Caulfield.

Racing Victoria stewards charged Kah with failing to “take all reasonable and permissible measures” to secure the best possible placing aboard the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr-trained Let’sfacethemusic in the McNeil Stakes.

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Let’sfacethemusic, who firmed from $9 to $7.50 before drifting slightly again to start at $8.50, finished fifth, beaten 4-½ lengths, behind the dominant winner Growing Empire.

Stewards alleged Kah “failed to ride her mount with sufficient vigour or purpose to improve her position” between horses from the 175m to the 100m.

Stewards also alleged Kah failed to ride out Let’sfacethemusic with sufficient vigour in the last 75m of the McNeil Stakes.

Growing Empire goes forward and wins with ease! 👊 pic.twitter.com/SBN2m53pmE

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) August 31, 2024

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Kah and Price were questioned on the day of the race before the stewards resumed their inquiry into the matter at Sandown last Wednesday.

Kah told the stewards at Sandown that she had watched the McNeil Stakes “many times” after the race.

“I saw it (gap) moving in front of me and I don’t know, I didn’t feel comfortable taking the run,” Kah said.

“I don’t take runs that aren’t there and at the point in the race, I didn’t feel like there was a run there for long enough to take.”

Kah also said she felt as though she rode below her best at that meeting.

“I don’t know if I was riding with a lot of confidence,” Kah told stewards at Sandown.

“I just didn’t feel like rode that well on Saturday.”

An inquiry has been opened into Jamie Kah’s ride in the McNeil Stakes at Caulfield, while a runner passed fit by the vet was scratched by stewards.https://t.co/7fgDUkRJem

— Racenet (@RacenetTweets) August 31, 2024

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The VRT will hear Kah’s case on a date to be fixed.

The Rules of Racing deem Kah’s alleged breach as a serious offence with the Victorian Racing Act requiring the matter to be heard and determined at the VRT, not by the stewards.

Originally published as Top jockey Jamie Kah to face Victorian Racing Tribunal to answer charge over McNeil Stakes ride