Kah among four jockeys banned for Covid breach
Racing Victoria has hammered star jockey Jamie Kah, along with fellow riders Ben Melham, Ethan Brown and apprentice Celine Gaudray, for breaking the state’s strict Covid-19 lockdown rules.
Kah will miss the ride on leading hope Behemoth (All Too Hard) in tomorrow’s Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) after the quartet were banned from racecourses and other licensed premises for 14-days, on the order of chief medical officer Gary Zimmerman.
It was found that they, along with two non-licensed individuals, were together at a Mornington Airbnb on Wednesday evening, after the state government’s 9pm curfew. They could receive further suspensions when they face RV stewards at 9:30am today.
Victoria has strict guidelines in place which prohibit people from leaving their homes for all but essential work or activities.
A report from the RV stewards laid out the particulars of the charges against the four riders.
“This conduct is in breach of the current State Government Regulations (namely the Stay at Home Directions) which prohibit private gatherings for persons not otherwise living with one another. The conduct is also in breach of the imposed curfew for Metropolitan Melbourne,” the report said.
“Racing Victoria’s Covid protocols state that any failure to comply with State Government Regulations will be deemed to be a failure or refusal to comply with an order, direction, or requirement of the stewards or an official.”
RV chief executive officer Giles Thompson slammed the riders for what he termed “disappointing” and “reckless behaviour” in a statement issued yesterday.
“The alleged behaviour of these four jockeys is a slap in the face to every member of the racing industry that has worked incredibly hard to protect the sport and the community while continuing to race since Covid restrictions were first introduced in March 2020,” he said.
“These individuals could have put at risk the very continuance of our sport and also blatantly disregarded the broader community implications through their selfish and thoughtless actions.
“While these actions do not reflect the majority, I want to make it extremely clear to all industry participants of the critical need to abide by all industry and government directives, especially as we enter the Spring Racing Carnival period.”
Kah, Victoria’s champion jockey last season, now looks set to miss a sizable chunk of the spring programme.
Boss forced home
Glen Boss has had to abandon plans to ride in Melbourne this spring after being forced to return home to Sydney from the Howard Springs quarantine centre in the Northern Territory.
Boss and his wife Sloane were told that their quarantine application had been cancelled after arriving at the facility.
The rider had been expected to partner the Peter Moody-trained Incentivise (Shamus Award) in the Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) and Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m), however the three-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey issued a statement yesterday explaining the latest developments.
“I have the utmost respect for our state and territory governments that manage the risks associated with border travel and the health and welfare of the communities that reside within those is paramount,” he said.
“I am extremely grateful to the connections of Incentivise who have afforded me the flexibility to make every possible endeavour to relocate to Melbourne this spring.
“I am eagerly looking forward to my return to Sydney where I am focused and determined for success ahead of what promises to be a wonderful spring carnival.”
The incident raises the probability that no Sydney riders will be able participate in the Melbourne spring carnival.