Star Australian jockey Jamie Kah and 3 different riders person banned from racing for 3 months aft breaching Victoria state’s pugnacious COVID-19 restrictions by gathering astatine a rented flat during lockdown.
Kah, Ben Melham, Ethan Brown and apprentice jockey Celine Gaudray were fined $5,452 Australian dollars and connected Friday had their racing licenses suspended until Nov. 26.
Kah past period became the archetypal jockey to registry 100 wins successful Victorian metropolitan races successful a season. She rode Prince of Arran to 3rd spot astatine past year's Melbourne Cup, but volition not get to thrust successful the confederate hemisphere's premier equine contention this play aft being ruled retired of the full Spring Racing Carnival.
The jockeys were among six radical charged aft constabulary were called to a spot extracurricular of Melbourne connected Wednesday nighttime pursuing a sound complaint.
The jockeys pleaded blameworthy astatine a equine racing tribunal proceeding to charges of “failure oregon refusal to comply with an order, direction, oregon request of the stewards oregon an official”.
Kah posted a connection connected Twitter to apologize for breaking the state’s pandemic restrictions, which see a nighttime curfew from 9 p.m. and a prohibition connected radical traveling much than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from their homes.
“I americium profoundly embarrassed and disappointed with myself,” Kah said. “There is nary excuse for what I person done and I person fto myself down, my household and friends, the racing manufacture and each Victorians who are doing the close happening successful this lockdown."
The jockeys volition request to instrumentality antagonistic COVID-19 tests and hold 2 weeks earlier being allowed to resume trackwork.
Racing Victoria said much than 750 contention meetings person been held safely since the pandemic began past twelvemonth and it was important for the full manufacture to abide by restrictions.
“The punishment indispensable besides beryllium seen to publically code the seriousness of the offending and marque wide that compliance with the COVID-19 protocols is non-negotiable," the state's equine racing authorization said successful a statement.
The Melbourne Cup, which has regularly attracted crowds of much than 100,000 astatine Flemington Racecourse, was held without spectators past November.
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