G1 AU$8,410,000 Turf, 3200M
Group
Prize Money
Distance
It might only take around 200 seconds to run but they are the most watched moments of sport on Australian TV every year. The Melbourne Cup is 3200m handicap – not a race which would excite some of the purists and yet it is the one so many want to win the most. Always run on the first Tuesday in November, it becomes a reason for so many to have parties at home or if not able, to celebrate the race at work. Internationally trained horses or those imported have a brilliant recent record with last year a classic example. GOLD TRIP had been trained in France and was good enough to place in multiple G1s as well as run fourth in the 2020 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Sold to run down under, he ran a lot of solid races including a close second in the Caulfield Cup but went one better at Flemington in an impressive victory.
WITHOUT A FIGHT has handed jockey Mark Zahra back-to-back wins in the Melbourne Cup with an outstanding display in the 163rd edition of the world’s greatest two-mile race.
Melbourne Cup Day (7 NOV 2023)
Melbourne Cup Results
WITHOUT A FIGHT came to Australia to run in the 2022 Melbourne Cup, where he was disappointing, but 12 months on he has become one of the stars of Australian racing, winning the Caulfield Cup before completing the famous Cups double at Flemington – the first since ETHEREAL in 2001 and the 12th overall.
Zahra, who won last year’s race aboard GOLD TRIP but opted to switch to WITHOUT A FIGHT in 2023, produced an outstanding ride, slicing through the field and racing away from a slow-starting SOULCOMBE who closed into second under Joao Moreira. SHERAZ finished third and ASHRUN finished fourth.
Race favourite VAUBAN moved up to win the race at the turn under Ryan Moore but faded out of the race to finish 14th, seven places behind well supported stablemate ABSURDE and Zac Purton.
