Without A Fight became the first horse since 2001 to win the Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup in the same year.
Key points:
- Without A Fight won the 2023 Melbourne Cup, ahead of Soulcombe and Sheraz
- Jockey Mark Zahra wins back-to-back Melbourne Cups
- Without A Fight becomes the first horse since 2001 to win the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups in the same year.
Soulcombe, who missed the start, came home to take second place.
Sheraz came third and Ashrun fought hard for fourth place.
It was a back-to-back victory for jockey Mark Zahra, who rode the Gold Trip to win the Melbourne Cup last year.
Zahra became the first jockey since Glen Boss on Makybe Diva to win consecutive Melbourne Cups.
“I was on a horse that you can sit on.
He has an electric turn of foot and he pulled me to the line,” Zahra said after the victory.
“The stars aligned for Gold Trip last year and for this horse this year.
“Just a few things and the way he won the Caulfield Cup, I was confident he would captain it.”
Without A Fight confirmed themselves as Cup contenders after winning the Caulfield Cup last month.
No horse since 2001 had completed the Melbourne-Caulfield Cup double, when Ethereal won both.
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