She will watch the festivities on television, but she cannot imagine anything worse than being at one of the great days of racing and not being allowed to sit on a horse.
Kennedy, based in the Victorian racing hotspot of Ballarat, has been out of action since early September after having major surgery to relieve pain and pressure in one of her legs.
The operation, known as the z-plasty procedure, was to lengthen an iliotibial band (ITB) that had been causing the star apprentice immense pain for six months.
"Essentially, they explained it to me like it was just tendon rubbing on bone, which is why I was in pain all the time," Kennedy told the Otago Daily Times from Melbourne.
"They tried to push me into getting it operated on earlier, but ... I was riding a lot and I’d just hear my ego. My ego didn’t want to let me stop.
"It got a lot worse and I got referred to a surgeon and he said, ‘yeah, we need to operate as soon as we can’.
"I didn’t think I’d be walking in there then walking out knowing that was my last week of riding, probably till next year."
Kennedy had hoped to be back in the saddle for her hometown Ballarat Cup next month.
"The first three, four weeks was hell.
"But at the same time, one of my best mates has had a fall and he’s in a wheelchair now. So,when you put things into perspective, I felt like a bit of a brat for feeling a bit down on myself.
"I’m just trying to see it as a bit of a chance to freshen up."
Kennedy is spending time with a physio and a rehab coach, and spending plenty of time in the gym to rebuild strength in the leg.
But she is not allowed to be back on board any of her favourite animals just yet.
"It makes me cringe, the thought of getting on a horse at the moment.
"It would definitely be the longest in my life that I haven’t ridden a horse, which is weird, but it’s also been nice, because life’s not all about racing."
Kennedy, who has 129 wins in her time as an apprentice, expects to be quickly back to her best once her leg is right.
She has up to 18 months of her apprenticeship left but hopes to get the 30-odd wins she needs to out-run her claim before that period is up.
She will come home to see her parents, Wingatui trainers Terry and Debbie, for Christmas and might get to resume some light riding at home.
Kennedy likes the look of Valiant King in the Melbourne Cup.
She has been an admirer of the horse since he won a race against Berkeley Square, trained by her boss, Dan O’Sullivan.
Another effort to admire recently was fellow hoop Jamie Melham becoming the first female jockey to win the Caulfield Cup.
Kennedy sees a lot of Tony and Calvin McEvoy, whose champion Half Yours was piloted by Melham. The McEvoys train at Ballarat, and Kennedy has ridden several winners for them.
Outside racing, it has been a big year for Kennedy.
She got engaged to fellow jockey Ryan Hurdle, from a Palmerston North racing family.
The pair are keeping the date of their wedding quiet and are planning a relatively private ceremony with just close family present.
