Boom Adelaide jockey Jamie Kah has showed Brisbane racegoers what the fuss is about with a perfect ride on Cantbuybetter in the Listed Brisbane Handicap at Doomben.
Cantbuybetter ($6) had been unlucky in his first three runs after a spell but Kah was able to get up on the rails to beat Hopfgarten ($7) by a long head on Saturday, with a short neck to Zahspeed ($10) in third.
Kah has swept all before her in South Australia, riding five winners at Morphettville recently. She has also been a regular in Melbourne.
But it was her first visit to Brisbane for the Origin Jockeys Series being held this weekend.
“I have been waiting all weekend for that and to win stakes race is a great thrill. I know Cantbuybetter has been unlucky his past couple and he was nearly unlucky again but we managed to get through,” Kah said.
Trainer Ben Currie was in Hong Kong watching the international jockeys series but was on the phone after the win.
Currie had originally planned to send Cantbuybetter to Perth for the Railway Stakes but elected to stay home for the summer feature races.
“We are now likely to chase the Bernborough Stakes, which is also over 1600 metres,” he said.
Hopfgarten tried hard and was only run down in the final 50m.
“The weight keeps getting him. I suppose he will go up again after this and he gave the winner five kilos today. He really tries hard,” trainer Robert Heathcote said.
Earlier, trainer got the first leg of a winning double when Pegapus ($6) stormed home to win at her third start for the stable.
“We have had her only for this campaign and I think we will get her out to 1600 metres to 2000 metres. She has always shown ability and she might have a good race in her,” Dunn said.
Pegapus gave jockey Robbie Fradd a send-off for a holiday to Mauritius with her win.
Fradd won a jockeys series in Mauritius last weekend and returned to ride in the Origin challenge this weekend.
“I am going back to join my family for the rest of our holidays,” said Fradd, who is a former champion rider in the Indian Ocean nation.
