Horse racing world reacts after Jamie Kah charged with serious offence over contentious ride

Horse racing experts and pundits are heavily divided after Jamie Kah was charged by Racing Victoria stewards on Monday and will be forced to front the Victorian Racing Tribunal. Kah had been the subject of an inquiry for her ride aboard Letsfacethemusic in the McNeil Stakes at Caulfield late last month.

Stewards weren't impressed by the fact Kah appeared to baulk when she had a gap to ride through down the final straight, and ended up fading to fifth. After a lengthy inquiry, the 28-year-old has been charged with breaching rule AR129 (2) that “a rider must take all reasonable and permissible measures throughout the race to ensure that the rider’s horse is given full opportunity to win or to obtain the best possible place in the field."

Stewards have deemed that Kah didn't ride to obtain the best result and she'll now face the Victorian Racing Tribunal at a later date. Stewards said Kah “failed to ride her mount with sufficient vigour” on two occasions. They also allege she had no “purpose to improve her position” between two rival horses despite having “sufficient room” and no other impediments.

However many have argued that windy conditions made it tricky for jockeys on the day, and the young horses in the race were moving in an unpredictable way. Kah had a serious accident in a race last year and was said to be feeling unwell during the day of the McNeil Stakes.

She told the inquiry: "I saw it (a gap) moving in front of me and I don't know, I didn't feel comfortable taking the run. I don't take runs that aren't there and at the point in the race, I didn't feel like there was a run there for long enough to take. I don't know if I was riding with a lot of confidence. I just didn't feel like I rode that well."

A date for the Tribunal hearing is yet to be determined, but it has thrown Kah's spring carnival into massive doubt. Racing Victoria has asked the Tribunal if it can expedite Kah's case, but it can sometimes take up to six weeks.

Horse racing world responds after Jamie Kah charged

Some of the leading names in Australian horse racing have had their say on the matter, and the general consensus is that it would be harsh if Kah is suspended. Trainer Wayne Hawkes declared Kah is "no cheat" on SEN radio, saying a jockey 'hesitating' for a split-second isn't against the rules.

Legendary jockey Damien Oliver also suggested Kah hadn't done anything wrong simply because she was over-cautious. "You can see there is a run there at times for Jamie Kah to take," he said on racing.com. "It was very windy there at Caulfield and you can see the horses were moving around a little bit. It looked like she could have shown a little bit more urgency to take that run.

"Jamie said later in the day she'd been a bit crook, and sometimes when that happens your decision-making is not as quick as it could be. It's a split-second decision and when the horses are moving around and it's windy, you're not always certain how they're going to react in front of you. So it's easier to say it (there was a run) when you're in here (the studio) than out there."

Leading commentator Gareth Hall said on SEN radio it was "understandable" that Kah didn't take the run due to concerns over her safety. "The decision by RV stewards will have massive ramifications because it's set to be the difference between having Kah be part of the spring or not," he said. "Kah is so valuable to the sport and one of only a few who can truly transcend the game."

On social media, commentator Ralph Horowitz said there have been rides in recent weeks way worse than what Kah produced. Others described it as a "joke" and "embarrassing" that Kah has been dragged over the coals.