I’ve been mulling over the ‘Airbnb Party’ at Mornington the past few days and what to make of it all. So I’ve put my thoughts into a Q&A format.
Three Months Ban: Fair Enough?
It had to be three months, minimum. What has alleged to have happened I won’t delve into. The point is that they broke the Covid rules that the Victorian government has for every citizen in the state and potentially, worst case scenario, could have put a halt to the Spring Carnival. Thankfully it hasn’t and the show will go on but to argue anything less is stupid.
The point I will make about the bans is I don’t agree they all should be painted with the same brush in terms of the length of the ban. Ethan Brown and Celine Gaudray predominantly ride at provincial meetings, so three months without riding is very tough on them in terms of making an income. But as I stated above, they broke Covid rules which could have put the Carnival on the back burner, plus they lied to stewards, so the sympathy for them dwindles.
I don’t want to sink the boot into Ben Melham, but he is a leading rider in the ranks in Melbourne and has recently returned from a betting ban, a portion of that ban due to him lying to stewards. He copped an extra month for lying on that occasion. Personally, combine the lying, breaking the Covid rules, potentially putting the Carnival in jeopardy, I would have slapped him with a six month ban.
Where To Now For Jamie Kah?
The racing media, as a whole, wanted her to be the new pin up for the sport in attracting the next generation. That was something, on face value, she was uncomfortable with. But given her deeds of last season in winning the premiership and creating history on a number of counts, she was thrust into the limelight whether she liked it or not.
She will be out of racing, riding anyway, for at least three months, maybe more. The question she will have to ask herself: Does she want to come back?
It’s no secret that she would love to represent Australia in Equestrian and try to win Olympic gold. Is she willing to put the time and effort in to try and win the trust and respect back in the racing industry, climb the mountain and take back her crown as the best in Melbourne. Or does she chase her dream. Only time will tell.
Will This Effect The Spring Carnival?
Will it lessen the Spring Carnival? Absolutely not. If anything, it will give the lesser names a chance to snare big prizemoney in big races and we have seen that already with Brett Prebble winning the Memsie aboard Behemoth, plus is the new rider of Cups favourite Incentivise.
The only effect it will have is on the betting. Kah, Melham and Zahra, but notably Kah, can influence a market in a race. Her strike rate the last 12-18 months is clearly the best in Melbourne and ‘Jamie Kah first time’ on a horse is more often than not a positive rather than a negative so in that regard, it will be effected, but the likes of Lane, Oliver and Williams are very much able replacements.
What Has Happened To The Standard Of Racing Journalism?
I’ve really been quite amazed at what I’ve read the past few days. One site in particular and one particular journalist, which won’t be hard to figure out, has absolutely torn Jamie Kah and Ben Melham to shreds, even to the point of mentioning families and/or partners.
Like…seriously? What went on in Mornington, nobody will 100% know until the truth/facts come out, which I highly doubt it will any time soon. But to drag families, partners and even children into this messy situation is just gutter journalism. Leave that crap to trash mags.
Next week is R U OK Day, a day to ask those near you how they are doing. The online abuse these riders have copped the past few days has been awful and articles that would be ideal for a trash mag add fuel to the fire and give trolls the perfect ammo to keep at it.
What Next For The Banned Riders?
This whole situation has been an absolute mess for all concerned. They will be the subject of rumour, innuendo and easy targets for online abuse. Yes, they have made a huge mistake, but the racing industry needs to wrap their arm around them and not leave them to fend for themselves. Thankfully the VJA has stated they will support the banned riders.
They have brought this on themselves, make no mistake of that, and rightfully are punished, but hopefully the time away will see them reflect on the decisions they made and come out the other side in a better mindset.
