One of the biggest names in horse racing was in town this week with star jockey Jamie Kah riding in the Echuca races.
Kah, who has previously been ranked the number one female jockey in the world and rode more than 1000 winners in her career so far, was in the saddle to lead Shambo to victory in the Blue Fox Maiden Plate at Echuca.
Two-year-old Shambo crossed the line first in race two, in front of Mothereens in second and Rhys Archard-trained Bangerang Redback in third.
Shambo was the clear favourite heading into the race, but Kah said it was still great to cross the line in first.
“I am very happy, it unfolded perfectly for us,” Kah said.
“I think he is going to be a nice horse to follow so it’s good to get the win on the board.
“I think he will be a horse to watch in spring, definitely.”
Despite coming home with the win, Kah said it wasn’t quite as easy as she had expected amid tricky conditions, with the track rated a heavy nine.
“I had to work a bit harder than I thought, I thought he would win easily and I don’t think he really liked the ground,” she said.
“The turn was quite shifty, the ground was loose underneath us and I don’t think my horse liked it too much.
“Having said that, with the rain we’ve had lately, the track has held up really well.”
Kah, Shambo and trainer Clayton Douglas made the trip up to Echuca from Mornington and Kah said it was great to get the win for the owners.
“I just really wanted to get the job down for the owners, they have been really patient with him [the horse],” she said.
Both Kah and Shambo will get to enjoy a rest now ahead of the spring, with Kah set to head to Europe later this month.
Kah said there was a chance she could ride at Royal Ascot, but said she would be heading to Croatia afterwards to enjoy the sunshine regardless.
Once she returns, Kah said she was hoping to tick off a big achievement on her wish list.
“There is nothing confirmed as yet, but there are a fair few nice horses I’m riding at the moment going around,” she said.
“Hopefully I can tick off one of my bucket list items, I would love to win one of the majors like the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate or Melbourne Cup, one of those would be very nice.”