Why jockey Mark Zahra called himself an idiot seconds after crossing the line to win the Melbourne Cup on Without A Fight
- Zahra made a two-finger gesture to the crowd
- Jockey said he ‘didn’t know what he was thinking’
- It was his second consecutive cup win
Australian jockey Mark Zahra thought he had put his foot in it moments after storming home to win the Melbourne Cup in front of an 80,000-strong crowd at Flemington on Tuesday.
Without a Fight cut through the pack, beating the field of 23 local and international horses over 3,200 meters for a whopping $8 million in prize money.
Zahra rode the 2022 winner Gold Trip and rode back-to-back after opting to ride this spring carnival without a fight.
Moments after crossing the line, Zahra gave the crowd a two-finger gesture that he immediately realized might have been offensive to some people.
“They all did their best and it opened up for me,” Zahra said after the race.
Without A Fight stormed through the field to win the 2023 Melbourne Cup and give jockey Mark Zahra a second victory in the race that is bringing the country to a standstill
The jockey then made a two-finger gesture that he immediately regretted
‘I was on a horse that you can sit on. He has an electric foot movement and he pulled me all the way to the line.
‘It was all over and I stood up and gave two fingers for two winners. I don’t know what I was thinking. Idiot.’
Zahra took the lead in the 300 meters and pulled away quickly, beating the field by three lengths.
‘The stars were on the Gold Trip last year and on this horse this year. Just a few things and the way he won the Caulfield Cup I was confident he would win it,” Zahra said.
He later admitted to giving Gold Trip a ‘pat’ before the Cup, but said he had put last year’s glory behind him.
‘I still give him a wink, but I immediately moved on. My only focus was to win again with this horse’
Fellow trainer Sam Freedman described Zahra’s ride as ‘extraordinary’.
After the race, Zahra called himself an ‘idiot’ for the gesture
The win completed a Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double for Without A Fight and Zahra
‘He got it through a wide gate onto the rail, relaxed, swam it away and was probably quite confident about the 800 meters he covered.
‘He just needed the brakes to come. He’s a freak. No doubt about the trip there. He was excellent.’