Superstar jockey Jamie Kah banned for three weeks over ride on Let’sfacethemusic

Star jockey Jamie Kah has been banned by the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) for her handling of Let’sfacethemusic in the Group 3 McNeil Stakes last month.

Kah had been accused of failing to ride with sufficient vigour and purpose in the final stages of the race.

On Thursday she was found guilty by the VRT and was hit with a three-week ban starting at midnight on September 28.

She will be free to ride again on October 20, but it’s a major blow for Kah who will now be out of action for some major meetings, including Turnbull Stakes Day, Caulfield Guineas Day, Caulfield Cup Day and The Everest.

Judge Kathryn Kings said the tribunal was “satisfied that between the 175m and approximately 50m mark there was sufficient gap and opportunity” for Kah to ride her mount with “vigour or purpose to improve” her position in the race.

Racing Victoria steward Corie Waller said it was a “blameworthy ride” from Kah and fell “well short of what would reasonably be expected of a rider in the same position”.

The stewards pushed for a six-week ban but the tribunal panel opted for three.

Kah — when explaining her actions in the race — said she was concerned about the control she had on the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained horse because it had locked it’s jaw.

“Basically when a horse locks it’s jaw it pushes the bit to the back of his mouth. If you go to pull the horse away from heels, he’ll go the other way,” she said.

“You don’t have much control of the horse until the horse puts it’s head down again and relaxes.”

Let’sfacethemusic finished fifth in the race behind winner Growing Empire and the second-placed Wonder Boy.

Kah also noted the extremely windy conditions of the day (among the reasons for her reluctance to take any gaps), but it was still thought she had enough room to move between Stay Focused (third) and Band Of Brothers to improve her position near the end.

In his submission, Kah’s counsel Matthew Stirling pointed to the jockey’s experience and the fact that she had been seriously injured in a fall previously.

“The very thing which landed her in ICU last year is a horse she lost control of because it had a locked jaw and she lost control,” Stirling said.

“She knows the dangers of a horse that she does not have the confidence will run gun barrel straight, you’re talking about young inexperienced horses here, it’s not Mr Brigthside, it’s not Anamoe, it’s not I’m Thunderstruck, it’s not Another Wil ...

“She might’ve hesitated, she might even have made an error of judgement because we all know now in retrospect the run stayed open.

“Her instincts at the time she had that lack of confidence to take the run with this particular horse in these windy conditions … it is not culpable, it was safe and it was cautious.”

He had previously described Let’sfacethemusic as “an equine wretch” who could sometimes “lock its jaw”.

Kah is equal leader in the Victorian Metropolitan Jockeys’ Premiership with Mark Zahra, having ridden 14 winners for the season to date.

- With RAS NewsWire