Kah, Melham & Zahra Slugged with Ban

Leading jockeys Jamie Kah, Ben Melham and Mark Zahra will miss Victoria’s spring carnival after the duo were among five jockeys hit with suspensions for breaking COVID-19 rules. According to racing.com, fellow jockeys Celeine Gaudray and Ethan Brown will also be ruled out from competing for three months due to attending an illegal gathering after 9pm curfew on the Mornington Peninsula on Wednesday night. They were caught when police attended the property following a noise complaint and consequently, all four jockeys pleaded guilty to breaking AR 232(b) - fail or refuse to comply with an order, direction or requirement of the Stewards or an official. The jockeys are suspended from August 26 at midnight until midnight on November 25, and faced fines of over $5,000 each. They are not allowed to enter any licensed location for 14 days, and negative COVID-19 tests must be provided during that period. They will, however, be able to take part in trackwork, jump-outs and official trials once the 14-day period ends on September 9. Racing Victoria’s CEO, Giles Thompson, reacted with anger and disappointment at the jockeys’ actions. “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.” On Sunday, it was announced that the 3 month punishment could be extended by an extra month due to alleged lies told to Stewards.

Ben Melham was one of five jockeys banned (pic: Mark Gatt)