'A slap in the face to racing' - top riders banned after Airbnb Covid breach

Some of Australia's leading jockeys, including Jamie Kah and Ben Melham, have been banned for 14 days and await potential further disciplinary action having allegedly gathered in an Airbnb during Victoria's strict lockdown.

Racing Victoria’s CEO described the actions as a “slap in the face” to the industry after Kah, Melham, Ethan Brown and Celine Gaudray were charged with breaching Covid restrictions. The riders reportedly gathered in the coastal suburb of Mornington after 9pm on Wednesday night with two other non-licensed individuals.

Having been in contact, they have been instructed to stay away from the racecourse for two weeks on medical advice and will only be permitted back to the track if producing a negative Covid-19 test from September 10. That means Kah misses the ride on Behemoth, favourite for Saturday's Group 1 Memsie Stakes.

Current restrictions in Victoria are similar to those in Britain in late March 2020, with people only allowed to leave home for essential reasons. A 9pm curfew has also been imposed.

Giles Thompson: 'The alleged behaviour of these four jockeys is a slap in the face to every member of the racing industry'Credit: Michael Dodge (Getty Images)

Racing Victoria's CEO Giles Thompson released a statement in which he slammed the four riders for their actions.

"The alleged behaviour of these four jockeys is a slap in the face to every member of the racing industry that has worked incredibly hard to protect the sport and the community while continuing to race since Covid restrictions were first introduced in March 2020," it reads.

"These individuals could have put at risk the very continuance of our sport and also blatantly disregarded the broader community implications through their selfish and thoughtless actions.

"The stewards have elected to lay significant charges against these individuals, which is appropriate given the potential impact their actions could have had on community safety, the livelihoods of the 25,000 Victorian jobs supported by racing and the welfare of the horses who rely on the daily care and exercise the industry provides.

"To see all of that potentially thrown away by the reckless behaviour of a small few is incredibly disappointing and far from what is expected of our industry participants."

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An inquiry by the Racing Victoria stewards will be held at 9.30am (00.30am BST) on Friday morning.

Last season Kah made history when becoming the first to ride a century of winners a single campaign of the Melbourne Metropolitan. She is a six-time Group 1 winner and is the joint highest-ranked female rider in the current Longines jockey rankings.

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