Just hours after the Victorian Racing Tribunal decided that Jamie Kah was lying to them, she has taken steps to fight them at the Supreme Court.
On Friday morning the Tribunal increased her already hefty ban from three months, which effectively costs her thousands and thousands of dollars from missing the Spring Carnival, to five months because they feel she was misleading in giving evidence.
Kah took to social media to announce she is in for the fight, adding,“my reputation, which I have earned by my conduct over my whole life as an honest person is very important to me.
“I am going to court to defend my reputation as to honesty. It is too important to myself as a person not to.
“I will not be making any further public comment on the matter. The courts will decide the issues.”
She isn’t happy that they have basically labelled her a liar.
“I have appealed my conviction because I answered every question asked of me by the stewards truthfully and yet I have been found guilty of giving false evidence,” she wrote.
Kah, Victoria’s record-breaking Champion rider and who was 3rd home in the Gr 1 Melbourne Cup last year, attended an illegal gathering breaching Covid rules and copped the initial ban on the chin.
When quizzed as to who was also there she responded. The Tribunal, however, believes she left out vital names and information.
Judge John Bowman presiding over matters, said: ‘’The bottom line is we are of the opinion that a period of two months suspension should be imposed for this charge under (ARR) 232 (i) and be cumulative in its entirety from the period of three months suspension imposed by the stewards in relation to AR 232 (b), thus the total period of suspension for both will be five months.’’
Racing.com reported that the Tribunal has added the extra months claiming Jamie didn’t mention Mark Zahra.
On Wednesday, the VRT found Kah guilty under ARR 232 (i) of providing stewards with false and/or misleading evidence after the tribunal found she held back information from stewards concerning jockey Mark Zahra’s attendance at the gathering.
The 25-year-old joins riders Mark Zahra and apprentice Celine Gaudray in being found guilty of the charge and having their original three-month bans extended. Zahra had one month added while Gaurday had two weeks tacked on with further suspended bans hanging over their heads for the next two years.
Fellow riders Ben Melham and Ethan Brown face a directions hearing on Friday morning into their charges of providing false and/or misleading evidence.