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Incentivise camp says Jamie Kah was never booked to ride the star galloper

Ben DorriesNews Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
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Camera IconNot Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia

Connections of Melbourne and Caulfield Cup favourite Incentivise have flatly rejected claims that Jamie Kah had been booked to ride Peter Moody’s star Group 1 winner.

Kah’s barrister Damian Sheales told the Victorian Racing Tribunal on Wednesday that Kah’s ban for the infamous Airbnb party had already seen her miss out on riding Victoria’s two Group 1 winners this season (Behemoth and Incentivise).

It came as Sheales argued that Kah’s original three month penalty had already been spectacular and any penalty for her guilty finding for misleading stewards during the Airbnb probe should be wholly suspended.

“She’s already missed out on the rides of the winners of the only two Group 1 races this season because she was booked to ride them both (Behemoth and Incentivise),” Sheales argued.

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“They were both $1m races (Memsie and Makybe Diva Stakes) and without slings her percentage is $100,000 so that’s a $100,000 penalty she’s already paid.”

However the Incentivise camp insists Kah was never booked for Incentivise in the Makybe Diva or any spring carnival race.

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Glen Boss was originally booked for Incentivise but when he was not allowed to enter Victoria via Darwin, connections had been deliberating between Brett Prebble and Kah.

Kah was ruled out when the stewards opened an inquiry into the conduct of Kah and other jockeys at the Airbnb gathering.

The entire Incentivise camp disputes Kah’s claim she was booked to ride the horse which has taken Australian racing by storm.

It is a fascinating development given that was one of the key planks of submissions by Kah’s legal team.

“She was never, ever booked (for Incentivise) – as simple as that, it’s a fact,” part-owner Brae Sokolski told News Corp.

“We were deciding between Brett Prebble and Jamie.

“It is a 100 percent fact that no decision was made prior to the (stewards) news surfacing about Jamie.

“At the end of the day the decision was made for us, it went from a field of two to a field of one.”

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Camera IconBrae Sokolski (centre). Pic – Stuart McEvoy/The Australian. Credit: News Corp Australia

Prebble made the most of his opportunity to ride Incentivise, the exciting former Queensland stayer, claiming an exhilarating win in last Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington.

Incentivise is the $4.50 favourite for the Caulfield Cup and $8 favourite for the Melbourne Cup, weighted with 55.kg in both Cups.

Kah has already been suspended for three months and will soon learn whether she faces a further sanction.

The Victorian Racing Tribunal will publish a penalty for Kah’s charge of providing false and/or misleading evidence to Racing Victoria stewards at 9am on Friday.

Originally published as Incentivise camp says Jamie Kah was never booked to ride the star galloper

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