Kah, Melham and Zahra among five jockeys charged with lying to stewards

The fallout from an illegal Airbnb party continues with more charges laid against glamour jockey Jamie Kah and four other riders.

Jockey Ben Melham and four other riders face an extended stint on the sidelines. Picture : AAP.

The ‘Airbnb Five’ group of suspended jockeys will appear before the Victoria Racing Tribunal to answer charges of lying to stewards.

Leading jockeys Jamie Kah, Ben Melham and Mark Zahra and fellow riders Ethan Brown and Celine Gaudray were all banned for three months for attending an illegal party on the Mornington Peninsula on August 25.

The five riders were all caught at the Airbnb property after 9pm on that night, breaking the Victorian Government’s tough Covid lockdown curfew.

Stewards suspended the jockeys for failing to comply with a stewards’ direction to comply with the current Covid restrictions.

Kah, Melham, Gaudray and Brown were suspended last Friday before Zahra joined the pair on the sidelines following a later inquiry on Saturday.

Kah, Melham, Gaudray and Brown were all charged on Monday with misleading stewards.

Jockey Ethan Brown was one of five riders charged with lying to stewards. Picture: AAP

Stewards alleged the quartet failed to admit Zahra was also at the party.

Zahra was charged with the same offence because he initially denied being at the Mornington property with the other four riders.

Zahra later contacted stewards to change his story.

Steward deemed the five riders’ alleged actions to be serious offences and will put their cases to the Victorian Racing Tribunal on a date to be fixed.

The jockeys are currently completing a mandatory 14-day standown period before they are allowed to ride trackwork and in trials.

Originally published as Kah, Melham and Zahra among five jockeys charged with lying to stewards