Without a Fight yesterday beat heavy favorite Vauban to win the A$8 million (US$5.1 million) Melbourne Cup, with jockey Mark Zahra claiming back-to-back victories in a dominant ride.
The seven-year-old gelding stormed clear in the final 100m to hold off Soulcombe and outsider Sheraz in a thrilling finish to the grueling 3,200m handicap at Flemington Racecourse.
Without a Fight had firmed to third favorite at A$8.00 just before the race.
Photo: AFP
The Irish-trained Vauban, priced as the A$5.50 favorite and with Ryan Moore — one of the world’s top jockeys — aboard, finished 14th in the so-called “race that stops a nation.”
Second favorite Gold Trip, the horse Zahra steered to victory last year, faded to 17th on a hot day.
“That’s unbelievable, he was just an absolute gem today,” said Zahra, who won the recent Group 1 Caulfield Cup on Without a Fight and opted to stay with him rather than move back to Gold Trip.
“I was following Alenquer ... in front of him was Gold Trip and in front of him was Vauban. I just thought I’d stay here. They all made their moves and it opened up for me,” he said. “I was on a horse that you could just sit on, he has an electric turn of foot and he just pulled me all the way to the line.”
Zahra is the ninth jockey to ride back-to-back Melbourne Cup winners and Without a Fight became the first horse to clinch the Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double since Ethereal in 2001.
“An extraordinary ride. He got him onto the rail from a wide gate, relaxed, switched him off and pretty confident probably the [last] 800m the way he was traveling,” said cotrainer Sam Freedman, who hails from one of Australia’s most prominent racing families.
“He’s a freak,” he said of the horse. “He was excellent.”
A cultural institution in Australia, the Melbourne Cup has been run on the first Tuesday of November since 1876 and is considered so important it is a public holiday in its host state of Victoria.
Held in front of an estimated crowd of 85,000, drinking and socializing took priority over racing for many, with the sound of popping champagne corks accompanying the thundering of hooves.
The race was reduced to 23 starters after Cleveland was scratched due to an elevated temperature, dealing a blow to trainer Lloyd Williams’ chances of winning an eighth Melbourne Cup.
Stricter veterinary checks have been introduced since the deaths of six horses associated with the Cup since 2013.
Right You Are failed to finish, reportedly due to heat stress.
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported ￡400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported ￡400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported ￡900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
RSS