Lead jockey Jamie Kah has reflected on the AirBnB drama which saw her miss the entire Melbourne Spring Carnival – and she thinks she’s now in a better place because of it.
Kah was involved in a COVID-19 breach in August alongside five other jockeys, after he was caught partying in Mornington during a state lockdown.
The incident saw the jockeys banned for three months, missing Victoria’s busiest time of the year, including the Melbourne Cup.
Since returning, Kah has found her “happy place” and admits she had to learn from her mistake.
“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 a recent episode of Howie Games Podcast.
“I was probably a bit selfish, people were going through such a tough time and I made a mistake and had to learn from it.
“It’s a difficult thing that happened, but it’s also probably one of the best things that happened in my life.
“I’m enjoying (to be back now), I’m in a happy place and I want to be the best I can be.
“I wasn’t really in the right place to talk about it until recently and it’s good that I got rid of it.
“I hope people can understand my side of the story and what I was going through, I know a lot of people were angry about it, and I understand that too.”
Kah is considered one of the best riders in the country, with over 1000 victories and 6 Group 1 triumphs in her career – and she still has plenty of great races ahead of her.
The 26-year-old revealed the backlash from her COVID breach forced her to mature quickly, before returning her to riding in December.
“I had to choose whether I let it get to me or not,” Kah said.
“The worst thing was what my parents and family sent them and were told about me. A few phone calls to mum were just tears, nothing else came out.
“I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. I made a mistake. I just felt sick for my family, really.
“The media, they build you up for all the success you have and they’re there to bring you down.
“I felt like I let down all the coaches that had me booked, I let myself down, the owners. Obviously I was going to miss a lot, but I felt like I let down a lot. The first weekend I had to stop racing, a horse won a Group 1.
“I thought I had matured a lot in the last five years as a jockey, but that’s something else. It makes you grow, appreciate life, appreciate the people around you. My circle is much smaller now.
“You can’t try to be friends with everyone. You can’t make everyone like you. It took a weight off my shoulders.
Kah rode the $5 million All-Star Mile victorious Zaaki last weekend, but will travel to Sydney this weekend as she is booked to ride Honeycreeper in the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes this Saturday at Rosehill. Gardens.
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