Jamie Melham Biography: Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Parents, Rides, Family, Children

Biography

Jamie Lee Melham (née Kah), born December 7, 1995, in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills, is an acclaimed Australian jockey whose parents, John and Karen Kah, were Winter Olympic speed skaters.

Growing up around horses, she began her apprenticeship in 2011, securing her first win at Clare in 2012 and claiming the Adelaide Jockeys’ Premiership in her debut full season (2012/13) as the first apprentice to do so in nearly two decades.

Rising rapidly, Melham became the world’s leading female jockey in 2020 and 2021, ranking as high as 41st overall in 2021. In the 2020/21 Melbourne metropolitan season, she set a record with 105 winners, the first to exceed 100.

Her career highlights include six Group 1 victories in 2024, such as the South Australian Derby, Victorian Derby, Australian Guineas, and Newmarket Handicap. She reached her 1,000th career win in May 2021.

Melham‘s path has included challenges: a 2023 racing fall at Flemington left her with brain injuries and broken bones, requiring an induced coma, and she faced a 10-meeting ban in 2024 for careless riding.

She married fellow jockey Ben Melham in January 2025, making them the first married couple to compete against each other in the Melbourne Cup.

In 2025, Melham etched her name in history as the first woman to win the Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double, riding Half Yours to victory in the Melbourne Cup on November 4—becoming only the second female winner of the race after Michelle Payne in 2015.

Australian jockey
Jamie Melham
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Jamie Lee Kah
Stage Name:	Jamie Melham
Born:	7 December 1995 (age 29 years old)
Place of Birth:	Adelaide, Australia
Nationality:	Australian
Education:	N/A
Height:	157 cm
Parents:	John Kah, Karen Gardiner-Kah
Siblings:	N/A
Spouse:	Ben Melham (m. 2025)
Boyfriend • Partner:	Clayton Douglas (ex.)
Children:	N/A
Occupation:	Jockey
Net Worth:	$2 million to $3 million (USD)

Early Life & Education

Jamie Lee Melham, born Jamie Kah on December 7, 1995, in Adelaide, South Australia, grew up in the nearby town of Mount Pleasant in the Adelaide Hills.

She is of Dutch ethnicity through her grandparents and holds Australian nationality. Jamie was raised in the Lutheran faith, attending services at the historic St. Petri Church in Mount Pleasant during her childhood in the Adelaide Hills.

Her parents, John Kah and Karen Gardiner-Kah, were both accomplished Australian speed skaters who represented their country at the Winter Olympics; John was part of the 1994 bronze medal-winning short track relay team (though he did not compete in the final) and won gold at the 1991 World Championships, while Karen competed in the 1988 demonstration event and the 1992 Olympics, along with multiple World Championships.

No details on siblings have been publicly documented. From a young age, Jamie was immersed in a “horsey childhood,” participating in pony clubs, western riding, cattle clinics, mounted games, and lessons at the Kersbrook Equestrian Centre between ages 8 and 10.

At 13, she began working at a friend’s stables, initially as a groom, before gaining permission to ride trackwork.

Regarding education, she attended high school but left at age 15 during Year 10 in mid-2011 to pursue a full-time apprenticeship as a jockey under trainer John Macmillan in Strathalbyn, South Australia, with her parents’ support despite the distance from home.

This early dedication to horses, influenced by her family’s athletic work ethic, set the foundation for her rapid rise in professional racing.

Career

Jamie Melham launched her professional jockey career in 2011 at age 15, leaving school mid-Year 10 to begin a full-time apprenticeship under trainer John Macmillan in Strathalbyn, South Australia.

She rode her first winner, Lone Star, at Clare on March 31, 2012, and in her debut full metropolitan season (2012/13) claimed the Adelaide Jockeys’ Premiership with 71 wins—the first apprentice in nearly two decades to achieve this.

Relocating to Melbourne in 2015, she rode under trainer Tony McEvoy and quickly established dominance. In the 2018/19 season, she became the first female jockey to win the South Australian Jockeys’ Premiership as a senior rider.

Her breakthrough at the elite level came in 2020–2021, when she was crowned the world’s leading female jockey for two consecutive years, peaking at 41st overall globally in 2021. That season, she shattered records in Melbourne, riding 105 metropolitan winners—the first jockey ever to surpass 100 in a single Melbourne season.

Her Group 1 tally grew rapidly: in 2021 she won the Robert Sangster Stakes with Subpoenaed, and in 2024 she secured six Group 1 victories, including the South Australian Derby (Coco Sun), Victorian Derby (Riff Rocket), Australian Guineas (Southport Tycoon), Newmarket Handicap (Cylinder), Coolmore Stud Stakes (Growing Empire), and Empire Rose Stakes (Atishu).

On May 29, 2021, she reached her 1,000th career win aboard Dollar For Dollar at Caulfield. A near-fatal fall at Flemington on March 18, 2023, left her with severe brain trauma and multiple fractures; she was placed in an induced coma for five days.

Returning after five months, she faced a 10-meeting suspension in 2024 for careless riding but rebounded with historic success in 2025. On November 4, 2025, she won the Melbourne Cup aboard Half Yours, becoming only the second woman (after Michelle Payne in 2015) to claim Australia’s greatest race—and the first ever to complete the Caulfield Cup–Melbourne Cup double in the same year, having won the Caulfield Cup the previous month.

Now married to fellow jockey Ben Melham (January 2025), the couple became the first married pair to compete against each other in the Melbourne Cup. Melham continues to ride at the pinnacle of Australian racing, known for her aggressive front-running style and record-breaking consistency.

Social Media

• Wikipedia: Jamie Melham
• Facebook: Jamie Melham
• Instagram: Jamie Lee Melham (@jamieleemelham07)

Personal Life

Jamie Lee Melham (née Kah), born on December 7, 1995, is currently 29 years old.

She stands at approximately 5 feet 2 inches (157 cm) tall, a compact frame well-suited to her jockey profession.

Melham is married to fellow Australian jockey Ben Melham, whom she wed on January 19, 2025, in a picturesque ceremony at a rural Victorian homestead; the couple exchanged vows before celebrating with a rendition of Daryl Braithwaite’s “The Horses” at the reception.

Their relationship became public in June 2022 with photos from Britain’s Royal Ascot, leading to an engagement announcement on Valentine’s Day 2024, where she showcased her diamond ring.

This marks Melham’s first marriage and Ben‘s second, following his 15-year relationship with Karlie Dales, with whom he shares three children—two sons and a daughter—none of whom are Melham‘s biological children.

The couple has no children together as of now.

Prior to Ben Melham, Melham was previously engaged to fellow jockey and trainer Clayton Douglas, with whom she shared a property on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula for several years; the engagement ended sometime before her relationship with Melham surfaced in 2022.

Rumours in 2021 speculated on a possible flirtation with Ben Melham amid a shared COVID-19 protocol breach, but this predated her confirmed romance with him.

Net Worth

Jamie Melham, the acclaimed Australian jockey, has an estimated net worth of approximately $2 million to $3 million USD, amassed through her illustrious racing career spanning over a decade.

This figure primarily stems from jockey fees, bonuses, and prize money shares from her 1,345 career wins, including 18 Group 1 victories and record-breaking seasons like her 105 Melbourne metropolitan winners in 2020/21.

Her 2025 triumphs—winning the Caulfield Cup (jockey’s share ~$150,000 AUD) and Melbourne Cup (jockey’s share ~$235,000 AUD, halved with husband Ben per their agreement)—have significantly boosted her earnings this year alone.

Additional income likely comes from endorsements and media appearances following her historic status as the first woman to achieve the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double.