Jamie Kah striving for perfection as she gets ready for hectic Melbourne Cup Week

Jamie Kah will take a busy week of riding and ambassador duties during Cup Week in her stride, and there’s one race – aside from the Melbourne Cup – she really wants to win.

Shake It Off.

Star jockey Jamie Kah would certainly know the lyrics as a proud Swiftie but the anthem could easily double as her soundtrack for the Melbourne Cup carnival.

Kah is likely to compete in about 24 of the 37 races in Cup Week – the Olympics for horse racing in Australia.

Four days of high stakes action at Flemington, including eight Group 1 events, for the best trainers, jockeys and equine athletes.

• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet’s team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

Winning jockeys – the minority – get about 15 minutes to soak up atmosphere on the way back to the mounting yard, celebrate with trainers and owners and complete media rounds.

The rest cannot dwell on defeat, but rather decompress, suit up and go again.

“Staying positive is the hardest thing,” Kah said.

“If I don’t ride everything perfectly, I’m pretty hard on myself.

“You need good people around you to keep you motivated, keep you happy.

“I get upset with myself, if I ride one poorly. You really have to put it in the back of your mind straight away, because there’s another Group 1, another big race, it’s very stressful week.”

Kah has eight rides back-to-back on Saturday at Flemington including Traffic Warden in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m), Goldrush Guru in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) and Amelia’s Jewel in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m).

The 14-time Group 1-winner determined to build on her tally at the highest level has six rides on Melbourne Cup Day including Okita Soushi in the race that stops a nation.

Jamie Kah will be determined to improve her Group 1 record in Cup Week. Picture: Michael Klein

Rather than commute from the Mornington, Kah and fiance Ben Melham stay in Melbourne.

“We do so much back and forth (to the track) and from Mornington it’s silly,” Kah said, with race days, track work and appearances during the carnival.

Kah is a Melbourne Cup Carnival ambassador for the Victoria Racing Club.

“You have to probably try and limit your rides as much as you can,” Kah said.

“Especially Melbourne Cup Day when you’re riding light, I’ll only have a handful of rides.”

• Four-Play, Quadzilla: $200 betting strategy for Flemington

Kah led the Melbourne Cup Carnival for wins last year (six) – double James McDonald, who collected three Group 1 prizes – the Victoria Derby, VRC Oaks and Champions Stakes.

McDonald won the Ron Hutchinson Award – leading jockey in Cup Week – for the third straight year, with the three big wins and 11 placings.

Chris Waller, who claimed the leader trainer JB Cummings Award last year, has a strong representation on Derby Day and beyond.

“It’s a big week, it’s the grand final in terms of where we’re at in the spring,” Waller said.

“We need to have the horses right and it has been a good week to us over the past few years, but I’ve got an amazing team behind me and they work hard 365 days a year.

“Cup Week is when it all counts and hopefully we can win another race or two.”

Jamie Kah riding Traffic Warden (left) in gallop at Flemington with stablemate Spacewalk this week. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

Kah went into Cup Week last year riding a significant form and confidence slump but wins, including a treble on Champions Day, reminded the racing world she was back in business.

Kah spent six months on the sideline recovering from severe head injury last year.

She has credited the Cup Carnival for the motivation and momentum in 2024 – her best calendar year in the saddle for five major successes, with already in the bank.

• Coolmore Stud Stakes tips, runner-by-runner form analysis

“That’s probably when I first started feeling like myself again,” Kah said.

“I came back a bit too quick I think after my fall, that week definitely picked me up again.

“Especially after what happened last year, the fall and everything, that was something pretty special to me, obviously I didn’t get any Group 1s in Cup Week but I had six wins.”

Kah won the Champions Stakes in 2022 on Zaaki – her only major Cup Carnival success to date.

A record the 28-year-old is determined to build on, starting Saturday.

While the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday is the race everybody wants to win, Kah included, the Coolmore Stud Stakes aboard Traffic Warden would be a major highlight.

Kah would happily take any of the Group 1s on offer, like the rest of the jockeys’ room.

“They’re all fantastic races,” Kah said.

“If I could pick one this Saturday, obviously I would love as many as I can get, but the Coolmore would be insane.

“An insane race with the class and the colts that come out of it, I would really, really love Traffic Warden to get the job done on Saturday.”

Kah has Okita Soushi in the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday and will reunite with Broadsiding in either the Champions Mile or Champions Stakes on the final day of the carnival.

Originally published as Jamie Kah striving for perfection as she gets ready for hectic Melbourne Cup Week