Star jockey Jamie Kah opens up about the Mornington Airbnb saga

Jamie Kah has opened up about the Mornington Airbnb saga last year, describing it as “one of the darkest times of my life”.

Jamie Kah poses with the All-Star Mile trophy after riding Zaaki to victory last Saturday. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images

Fallout from the Mornington Airbnb saga forced star jockey Jamie Kah to “grow up as a person in five minutes” amid the fierce scrutiny and isolation.

But now, seven months after “one of the darkest times of my life”, the riding ace and Australian sporting role model Kah is back in her “happy place”.

Kah bared her soul in a popular sports podcast, dropped overnight Thursday.

“I’m one that always wanted to be positive, a good person, a good role model in people’s eyes,” Kah said.

“Everything I’d built the last 10 years being a jockey I felt like, in an hour, it disappeared.”

Kah was one of five Melbourne jockeys hit with spring carnival-ending three-month suspensions last August for a breach of Covid protocols with an ad hoc Mornington gathering.

The media coverage and public backlash weighed heavily on Kah.

The first week, including a forced isolation due to the Covid breach, was “awful”.

“I couldn’t see anyone, I couldn’t be around anyone and obviously the media and people on Facebook and Twitter,” Kah told the Howie Games podcast.

“I just had to shut down my phone and the things getting said about me, about us.”

During the 19-minute segment - part of a wider chat with podcast host Mark Howard - Kah speaks about how she “went to water” in her “interviews and interrogations” with stewards and police.

“It felt like you’re a little kid getting told off by the principal, I honestly went to water,” Kah said.

“I’ve never been in trouble before, I’m not good with confrontation and I just couldn’t get a word out those (first) few days of interviews and interrogations.

“I was this little girl that couldn’t believe it, everything has slipped away.”

Jamie Kah wants to let he riding do the talking. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images

Kah feared becoming a racing pariah, unwanted by trainers and owners, before a wave of industry support boosted her spirit.

She still has the text messages, as a reminder, on her phone.

“I felt like I let all the trainers down that had booked me, the owners, I obviously was going to miss out on a lot (important spring rides) but I felt like I was letting a lot of people down,” Kah said.

“At that stage, I thought ‘I’m done’, trainers (and) owners won’t put me back on after this, I just thought the worst, wasn’t very positive.”

Kah has kept a low public profile since returning to the saddle late last year, beyond race day commitments, determined to let “riding do the talking”.

“I definitely don’t take anything for granted anymore, not that I took it (being a jockey) for granted but you just think it’s never going to end,” Kah said.

“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 one of the toughest things that’s happened but it’s also, probably, one of the better things that has happened in my life.”

Jamie Kah with Zaaki after winning the All-Star Mile. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images

Being back riding, especially winners, has helped no end.

“I’m enjoying it, I’m in a happy place and I want to be the best I can be,” Kah said on the segment recorded a couple of weeks before her All-Star Mile success.

“I haven’t really been in the right place to speak about it until recently and it’s good I’ve got it off my chest.

“Hopefully people can understand my side of the story and what I was going through, I know a lot people were angry about it, and I understand that too.”

Six-time Group 1 winner Kah won the $5m All-Star Mile last Saturday on Zaaki.

Five days prior the South Australian won her hometown Group 2 Adelaide Cup for the first time also as well as riding five winners on the big day.

Originally published as Star jockey Jamie Kah opens up about the Mornington Airbnb saga