Jamie Kah is not only a wonderful rider, but she is also a master of the understatement … two attributes which were on clear display at Rosehill on Saturday.
First came her incredible display of horsemanship aboard the Clinton McDonald trained filly Hayasugi in the Golden Slipper … a display which falls into the had to be seen to be believed category.
The filly and Kah were on a roll coming into the Slipper having won three Blue Diamond features in a row … the BD Preview for fillies (Group 3), the BD Prelude for fillies (Group 2) and the $2 million Blue Diamond (Group 1) itself … a race in which she beat Lady Of Camelot in a driving finish.
So, here she was in the Golden Slipper, shooting for four straight wins with reasonable expectations of a good run to come … when it all went so wrong, so quickly.
After beginning awkwardly, Hayasugi who was $10 with top betting apps had barely cleared the starting gates when she stumbled, almost unseating Kah, who was propelled forward to momentarily hang over the right shoulder of the horse, before being able to get herself back in the saddle.
That was scary moment number one … but it had happened in the blink of an eye and, due to Kah’s expert skill, had been rectified just as quickly.
Scary moment two, which followed immediately, took a completely different form.
Kah had lost her near-side stirrup in that incident at the start (she would regain it quickly enough) but Hayasugi, who had jumped from the number fifteen outside barrier draw, had now taken charge.
Her head shot up, first left then twisted right before she pulled hard, angled right, making a diagonal beeline for the inside running rail at some speed.
The angle of the run and the speed of her approach suggested that Hayasugi was on a collision course with the rail.
Again, Kah’s superior prowess in the saddle was being tested to the full.
By Kah putting all of her balance on the left-hand side of Hayasugi as it approached the fence, the filly started to straighten, but there was still heavy contact, which pushed Kah sideways again, right through to the righthand side of the horse, after all of which, she somehow managed to gather Hayasuti back on a straight path, edge away from the rail and carry on her way.
Hayasugi’s race over after only 100m. The incident carried all the ingredients to have a far worse outcome for both horse and rider, but thankfully both came home safely.
You always have to have a bit of luck on your side in situations such as those described here, but that takes nothing away from the fact that it was simply an awesome display of riding by Jamie Kah.
It is not often a rider gets high praise for coming in a tailed off last, but when you deserve praise and a special mention … you should receive it!
And then it was the turn of Kah being a master of the understatement.
When all of the riders entered the jockey’s room after the Golden Slipper, Kah, in turn was asked for her comment on Hayasuti by Sky Racing.
“We were just lucky to get around in the end” said Kah with a wry smile. “She fell over coming out of the gates and then she fell over again. It’s just a non-event though.”
Short and to the point!
The disappointment at the outcome would have been tangible for all involved with Hayasuti … but they got their horse back and Kah was fine.
That was the most important result of all.
