- Kah suffered the injury before the fifth race at Randwick
- He was temporarily retired from racing.
- Recovered to become the second woman to win the Derby
Leading jockey Jamie Kah has recovered from a broken and bloody nose from a previous race to claim victory in the Victoria Derby.
Stewards retired Kah’s Group 2 Wakeful Stakes Hurry Curry from race five after the horse reared back and hit the jockey in the head.
Kah, bleeding profusely, was temporarily sidelined before receiving clearance from her doctor to compete in the Derby.
However, their joy could be short-lived. Kah is also under investigation for careless driving in the second race at Randwick and could face a possible one-day suspension from the Carnival Cup.
That would leave her out of Champions Day next Saturday.
It was trainer Andrew Gluyas’ first win in Group 1 as a solo trainer and he praised Kah for his bravery.
‘I’m speechless. Overwhelmed. Proud. Satisfied. Great moment,’ he said.
“She got hit in the nose and that was worrying her a lot even during that trip. Probably broken, he said.
“A lot of courage.”
Kah was able to overcome a broken nose she suffered when her horse hit her in the head to lead Goldrush Guru to glory in the Victoria Derby.
Kah’s day could get worse, however, as stewards are reviewing an investigation into careless driving.
Kah has faced several controversies in his career. In 2021, she was suspended for three months after violating Covid protocols by attending an illegal gathering at a rented property with other riders.
She was fined $5,452 for violating lockout laws, and the incident attracted widespread media attention and temporarily halted her record-breaking season.
In 2023, Kah returned to the spotlight after a serious fall during a race at Flemington, leading to an investigation into the incident. He suffered a brain injury and was in an induced coma for six days.
The Victorian Racing Tribunal then banned Kah for three weeks ahead of the Spring Racing Carnival after he failed to advance his mount Let’sfacethemusic through a gap between two horses.
After the race, Kah praised Gluyas for showing faith in her.
“This means everything to us,” Kah said.
“Obviously we love riding Group 1 winners, but that makes it that much more special when it’s fantastic people like Andrew.
‘I used to ride for Andrew and Lou. I’ve ridden a few shockers in the past for them, so it was nice to reward them on the big stage of Derby Day.
“My plan was to get revenge on him. I couldn’t hold him early. It was going to be wide and I somehow found a little space to fit it.
‘Once I found the gap, he just fell asleep and gave me a beautiful run the entire way.
“He beat it by a lot of distance and I could have held him off for another lap, but he wanted to keep going.”
‘They’ve trained this horse to perfection, he looked good winning in Adelaide, but obviously the class is a little different. “I didn’t know how I was going to live up to it, but they did a good job.”
