Melbourne Cup jockey Jamie Kah’s meteoric rise to the top; Prince Of Arran

Jamie Kah will bid to become only the second female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup when she rides Prince Of Arran – 10 years after her mother banned her from riding fast horses.

Melbourne Cup Jockey Jamie Kah and horse Prince of Arran at Werribee international Stables. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Once barred by her mother Karen from riding racehorses, Jamie Kah stands on the brink of racing history.

By 3.05pm on Tuesday, Kah could become only the second female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup after Michelle Payne’s success on Prince Of Penzance in 2015.

Kah’s riding ban, imposed in 2010, lasted just six months before the then 14-year-old defied the order and started to ride trackwork for Adelaide Hills trainer John Macmillan.

Since those formative days, Kah has vaulted to national racing prominence by winning two South Australian jockeys’ premierships, continuing the surge since transferring to Victoria.

At 24, Kah is one of the hottest properties in the fickle world of racing, sitting atop both the Victorian state and metropolitan jockeys’ premierships.

Jamie Kah has come a long way since her mum barred her from riding fast horses in her early teens. Picture: Alex Coppel

Kah will partner Prince Of Arran in the Melbourne Cup. Twice a placegetter in the race that stops the nation, the English gelding is one of the leading fancies for the $8 million staying test.

In a potentially telling coincidence twist, Prince Of Arran has drawn barrier one – the same gate Payne and Prince Of Penzance used five years ago.

If Prince Of Arran triumphs, victory would complete a spectacular milestone in a case of accidental career success because Kah had no desire to ever become a jockey.

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“I had never really wanted to be a jockey,” Kah said. “I have always loved horses and had done all the pony club stuff.

“I had a friend of mine who was involved in racing and I just started doing afternoon shifts in the stable when I was 13. I started riding trackwork and fell in love with it.

“I just wanted to make a bit of money riding trackwork, but then I loved it and wanted to become a jockey.”

Kah’s meteoric journey started at the Mount Pleasant Pony Club, swiftly progressing to Australian selection at Pony Club Mounted Games in England in 2010.

Jamie Kah rode four winners on Cox Plate day and added another on Derby Day with Victoria Quay in the Wakeful Stakes. Picture: Getty Images

Her international selection continued a rich family tradition – Karen Kah and her husband John both competed for Australia as speed skaters at the Winter Olympics and several world championships.

Since moving to Melbourne, Jamie Kah has built a reputation as one of the coolest and shrewdest operators in racing.

But the sport – despite its lucrative and profile-building nature – will never be Kah’s obsession. Horses are her true love.

“It wasn’t really the racing side that attracted me,” she said. “I got into the sport through riding ponies as a young girl.

“The horses were my love. They still are.”

Kah and her partner Clayton Douglas, a fellow jockey and trainer, have a property on the Mornington Peninsula, where Kah retrains retired racehorses.

“To be able to rehome racehorses and give them another chance in life is really important to me,” she said. “I would have rehomed about 20 in the last three years and there’s about three on my property now.

“When it gets a bit quieter at the end of the year, I’ll probably get a few more.”

Kah has one “really special” horse on her farm.

“His name is Brax. I actually rode him in his last start and he actually ran last,” she said.

Jamie Kah and her favourite horse, Brax, one of the retired racehorses on her farm. Picture: Nicole Cleary

“He didn’t do go very well but I took him home about five years ago and he’s been with me ever since. His race name was Rich Rupee. He means a lot to me.”

As a young girl, Kah’s dreams weren’t to ride in Australia’s most prestigious races. Instead, she wanted to compete at the Olympic Games as an equestrian.

“Every girl’s dream is to grow up and compete in the Olympics,” she said. “I dreamt of that, too. I think I would now like to travel around Australia and go showjumping.

“That’s probably more a goal of mine with racing being such a high-pressure sport, something a little more casual would suit me later on.

“I think the Olympics is a lot of hard work and I think I would much rather compete around Australia in showjumping.”

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For the moment, Kah is heavily engaged in racing.

Prince Of Arran, third in the 2018 Cup and second last year, could catapult Kah into racing immortality, much in the way Payne will forever be part of the race’s story.

“Until five years ago, a lady had never won the Cup before and to watch Michelle do that and create history was a very special day,” Kah said.

“I think I was riding at Morphettville that day and the whole girls’ room went crazy and we thought it was pretty awesome.

“Michelle is a great friend of mine and I’m sure she’ll be cheering me on.”

Kah is the only woman booked to ride in the Cup on Tuesday.

Originally published as Melbourne Cup jockey Jamie Kah’s meteoric rise to the top; Prince Of Arran