Sports
Melbourne Cup: A Historic Victory Achieved by Without A Fight
Without A Fight's Remarkable Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup Double Victory
In a historic achievement, Without A Fight has become the first horse since 2001 to secure victories in both the Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup within the same year. Despite a rocky start, Soulcombe made a stunning comeback, clinching second place, while Sheraz secured an impressive third, and Ashrun battled valiantly for fourth.
Mark Zahra, who had previously ridden Gold Trip to victory in the Melbourne Cup the year before, clinched his second consecutive win, becoming the first jockey since Glen Boss on Makybe Diva to accomplish back-to-back Melbourne Cup victories. After his triumph, Zahra praised Without A Fight, stating, "I was on a horse you can sit on. He's got an electric turn of foot and he pulled me all the way to the line." He also humorously acknowledged a misstep during his celebration, saying, "Giving the two fingers [signal] for two winners. I don't know what I was thinking. Idiot!"
Without A Fight established himself as a formidable contender for the Melbourne Cup after his Caulfield Cup victory the previous month. The last horse to achieve the Melbourne-Caulfield Cup double was Ethereal in 2001.
Irish raider Vauban, trained by Willie Mullins, had been the favorite for the race but ultimately finished further back in the field after initially looking promising. Three of the top contenders were positioned closely together, with Vauban in barrier three, Gold Trip in barrier two, and Soulcombe in barrier four.
Serpentine, Kalapour, Future History, Magical Mission, and 2019 winner Vow and Declare were among the horses that took the lead early in the race. Zahra displayed composure as these frontrunners pushed hard at the halfway mark.
As the race approached the turn, several horses were in contention, including Vauban making a move around the outside of Future History, accompanied by Vow and Declare and Absurde. However, Without A Fight surged down the center of the track, expertly timed by Zahra, and secured a clear lead with 100 meters to go.
In the end, Without A Fight's victory was solid, with Soulcombe delivering a remarkable performance to secure second place. Sheraz, a French-bred horse trained by Chris Waller, displayed his prowess over the 3,200m distance by taking a commendable third place.
This triumph marked the first Melbourne Cup win for the father-and-son training duo of Anthony and Lee Freedman, with Lee Freedman being the brother and son of the legendary five-time Cup winner Lee Freedman.
