Jockey Mark Zahra admits he had a HUGE night after his Melbourne Cup win with hilarious joke about how he avoided a hangover
- Zahra joked that he was still drunk
- Jockey said he will continue to ‘push through’
- Said it’s ‘great’ to win the Cup twice
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Mark Zahra had a great night celebrating a famous Melbourne Cup win but has jokingly revealed why he isn’t hungover.
Zahra has won back-to-back Melbourne Cups and won Australia’s most famous horse race at Flemington on Tuesday with Without A Fight.
The stunning win completed the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double for Without A Fight, who finished 13th in the Cup last season and handed the stables to Victorian trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman shortly afterwards.
The win was the start of a celebration on Tuesday afternoon that was sure to leave some sore heads, but Zahra says he is feeling fine.
Speaking to Seven’s Sunrise on Wednesday morning, the blue-eyed jockey was asked how his head was and if he had slept.
Mark Zahra joked on Sunrise that he is still drunk after his famous Melbourne Cup win
βIf you never sober up, your head is fine,β Zahra joked. “So I’ll keep going.”
The Victorian became the first jockey since Glen Boss on Makybe Diva to win back-to-back Melbourne Cups.
βIt’s a different feeling than winning the first time,β he said.
“It’s a little more subdued, but it’s still a great feeling.”
Zahra had the choice before the race to ride Without a Fight or Gold Trip – and according to the jockey that was not an easy choice.
‘It was a very difficult decision. βI have a bit of an emotional attachment to Gold Trip,β he said.
‘When you win a Melbourne Cup with a horse – especially your first Melbourne Cup – the horse will remain in your heart for the rest of your life…’
‘A tough course was predicted, which Without a Fight likes and Gold Trip doesn’t – and of course I won the Caulfield Cup with this horse.’
The win completed the jockey’s Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double
Zahra branded himself a ‘moron’ and an ‘idiot’ during his celebration after the win at Flemington
After the race was over, Zahra acknowledged that he had let his excitement get the better of him with his two-fingered celebration.
‘Giving the two fingers (signal) for two winners. I don’t know what I was thinking. Idiot!’ he said.
Without A Fight have confirmed themselves as cup contenders after storming home to claim the Caulfield Cup last month.
No horse had achieved the Melbourne-Caulfield Cup double since 2001, with Ethereal claiming both.