Graham Fischer

FORMER Trinity College student Jamie Kah on Saturday created a riding record that has propelled her into household-name status in Australian sport.

Kah became the first jockey to register 100 wins in a racing season in the Victorian metropolitan jockeys’ premiership.

After being caught on 99 wins for a week, Kah, 25, cracked the ton at Caulfield on Deep Speed, a horse trained by her longtime supporters, Tony and Calvin McEvoy, from Kildalton Park, Angaston.

Trainer Tony McEvoy believes the popular rider is not just a champion rider of the turf, but one of Australia’s all-time great athletes.

It is an accolade Kah acknowledges but is not comfortable with. “At school, I was definitely no star,” Kah told The Bunyip.

“Trinity was the only school I attended from years 1 to 10.

“I was too busy getting to school late after riding track work most mornings.”

Kah said a few old school mates had informed her that her photo was hanging among a list of Trinity College sport achievers in the STARplex building at Evanston Park.

“They sent me a photo of the wall,” she said.

“I think that is very special of Trinity to recognise what I’ve done, because, as I said, I was no star with my schoolwork.”

Kah grew up in Mount Pleasant with her parents John and Karen, former speed skaters who represented Australia at a Winter Olympics.

She did her early riding at the Mount Pleasant Pony Club. It was where she learned the balance and poise on horses that are two of her greatest attributes as a jockey.

Kah’s first boss was another Mount Pleasant local, trainer John Macmillan, wandering into his stables as a 14-year-old. Macmillan identified how Kah was different to most jockeys.

“She had an affinity with the horse; she clearly had empathy with them,” he said.

But her early life as an apprentice jockey was not all roses, even though she was riding winners.

She was rocked by the tragic death of jockey Caitlin Forrest, caused by a fall at Murray Bridge in October 2014, and also had been targeted by trolls on social media.

Kah took time out from the sport, going backpacking around Europe meeting up with fellow jockeys Libby Hopwood and Claudia Lions.

The break did her good and she returned to the sport, quickly re-establishing herself.

It was then she linked up with trainer Tony McEvoy, whose stables are at Kildalton Park, Angaston.

“She was riding very successfully when I got her,” McEvoy said. “I chased her because I could see the talent ... not only me, everyone was talking about how good she was.

“I had the opportunity to grab her, and I did.

“She was a tremendous asset to my stable, and I knew very quickly I wasn’t going to hold her for long because she was going to outgrow South Australia.”

McEvoy was right – after three South Australian Jockey premierships, Kah headed to Melbourne.

Kah acknowledged the influence of the training partnership of Tony and Calvin McEvoy.

“They’ve been such big supporters of my career,“ Kah said. “We’ve had lots of arguments and disagreements on the way through, but they’ve supported me from day one and to get it (100 wins) on their horse was very special.”

Kah’s work now has her based on a property on the Mornington Peninsula with her fiance, Clayton Douglas, himself a trainer and jumps jockey.

She still has wonderful memories of her childhood in Mount Pleasant and the Barossa Valley.

“I definitely miss the Barossa Valley,” she said. “It is a beautiful spot in the world.

“I haven’t been back for a while, but I still have a few friends who live there so would love to visit again soon.”

Kah has a post-racing ambition, and naturally it would involve horses.

“My whole life so far has been dedicated to racing, and the pressure it puts on you, physically and mentally is very tiring,” she said.

“When I retire from race riding, I would love to compete all around Australia in showjumping and take a team of horses around Australia.”

For the present though, Kah is intent on adding to her amazing record.

This season overall, Kah has ridden 143 winners, including four at Group One level, and her winners have amassed more than $15,800,000.