‘We have a mortgage to pay, he will definitely be riding’: Heavily pregnant Katelyn Mallyon reveals

Channel 7 star Katelyn Mallyon has told jockey James McDonald not to miss a Melbourne Cup ride for the birth of their first child.

With a mortgage to pay, Katelyn Mallyon has told her fiance, jockey James McDonald, not to miss a ride in the Melbourne Cup for the birth of their first child. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Having sat out last year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival after being busted for a Covid rule-breaching jockey party at a Mornington Airbnb, top rider Jamie Kah has been named an ambassador for the Victoria Racing Club.

The Melbourne Cup and Cup Week are the jewels in the VRC’s annual program of races.

Kah was sidelined for three months last year after she was found to have been part of the prohibited gathering of five jockeys at the Airbnb rental in August 2021.

Having put that embarrassing mess behind her, Kah, who is in a relationship with fellow jockey Ben Melham, is now one of the faces of the VRC.

Jamie Kah with Ben Melham. Picture: Ian Currie

Her VRC partnership will focus on her work with her retired racehorse Dollar For Dollar, who is embarking on a showjumping career with Kah.

Kah has an extensive background in equestrian sport, having taken a break from racing during her teen years to ride showjumpers in Europe.

Away from the track she trains and competes in the showjumping arena.

“Riding is my favourite thing to do – a day without horses is a bad day for me,” Kah said.

“I have a passion for Off The Track thoroughbreds. They take a lot of work but it is so rewarding to see them excel in their second careers.

“Having ridden top level showjumpers in Europe, I firmly believe that the work ethic and athleticism of the thoroughbred is world-class and I’m excited to see how far Dollars can go in his new role. I hope it inspires more people to work with off the track thoroughbreds in various disciplines.”

Kah won the 2020-21 Victorian jockey’s premiership and set a Melbourne Metropolitan record of 105 wins that season, becoming the first jockey to break the 100-win barrier.

Kah said in March the fall out from the Airbnb scandal had made her reassess her life.

“I definitely don’t take anything for granted anymore. It’s not that I took it for granted but you just think it’s never going to end,” Kah said on The Howie Games podcast.

“I probably was a bit selfish, people were going through such a hard time and I made a mistake and I’ve had to learn from it.

“It’s been a tough thing that’s happened, but it’s also probably been one of the better things that has happened in my life.

“I’m enjoying (being back riding now), I’m in a happy place and I want to be the best I can be.”

Baby’s birth won’t stop McDonald riding in Melbourne Cup

Channel 7 racing identity Katelyn Mallyon has told her fiance, champion jockey James McDonald, not to miss a ride in the Melbourne Cup for the birth of their first child.

Mallyon and McDonald are the golden couple of Australian racing.

She is a former group 1 winning jockey turned respected and insightful commentator on Seven’s racing broadcast team, while McDonald is a superstar jockey who piloted Nature Strip to an earth-shattering win in the King Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and won the Melbourne Cup last year aboard Verry Elleegant.

The couple, who started dating in 2016, are expecting their first child in early November.

“Obviously it has been a big year for James and I with racing and buying a house, getting engaged and now our baby,” Mallyon said.

“She is due on November 8. Hopefully she does not come early.

“I said to my obstetrician, ‘James will definitely be at the Melbourne Cup Carnival’ and she said ‘Oh no, he will be with you,’ and I said, ‘No way, we have a mortgage to pay, he will definitely be riding’.”

Channel 7 racing commentator Katelyn Mallyon and her partner, top jockey James McDonald are expecting their first child together. Picture: Tim Hunter.

With his Cup win last year, McDonald hopes to add the Cox Plate to his long list of big race wins. He will ride Anamoe in the weight-for-age championship at Moonee Valley on October 22.

Before that though, McDonald will team up again with Nature Strip to try for back-to-back wins aboard the speed machine in The Everest, the $15 million sprint at Randwick on October 15.

Mallyon will be part of Seven’s broadcast that day before taking a maternity break.

“I feel very lucky that I have been able to be there for James and all these big wins,” Mallyon said.

“I pinch myself how lucky I am, really, to still get to live my dream through James and be a part of Channel 7’s racing coverage every week looking at these supreme athletes go around.”

McDonald said he was grateful to have been associated with two champions in Nature Strip and Verry Elleegant.

“Both horses wear their heart on their sleeve, they have tremendous will to win and they know where the line is and that is why they have got such beautiful records,” he said.

“They fight like caged lions and they have the ability to go with it.”