After being involved in an infamous incident that gave horse racing a black eye, jockey Mark Zahra is tasting sweet Melbourne Cup redemption.
Jockey Mark Zahra couldn't forgive himself. Until Gold Trip stunned the world to win the 2022 Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday.
12 months on from one of the worst days of his life, the 40-year-old can finally exorcise the demons that have haunted him since the infamous Airbnb scandal rocked the sport.
The 162nd running of the great race delivered plenty of drama right to the finish line as the miserable weather did its best to ruin the day for the 80,000 spectators that braved the stormy conditions.
But nothing could overshadow the $8 million, 3200m handicap classic.
The connections of the six-year-old horse are celebrating a payday of more than $4 million.
Emissary finished second and High Emocean was third.
Favourite Deauville Legend was fourth, while highly fancied runner Realm of Flowers was fifth.
Gold Trip did it the hard way, taking the lead with more than 300m to run before Emissary looked to be making a challenge of it with 150m to go.
But the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained horse showed its class by finding one final effort at the finish line wo win by 1.5 lengths.
Winning jockey Zahra said the final moments of the race were nerve-wracking. "(I was thinking) just piss off, no one come near me," he said.
“I can’t. I feel like crying. It’s unbelievable. What a day. He’s a horse that when you go, you don’t give him a chance to think about it.
"It’s just elation when I crossed the line. What an amazing feeling.”
He went on to say: "The last 50m I was thinking I'm going to win this. It just went forever the last bit. And I still can't believe it. Melbourne Cup, it's unbelievable."
Eustace was visibly shaking when interviewed after the race.
"I can't believe it. Obviously a bit overcome. Yeah, it's obviously a dream that we all want to achieve," he said.
Earlier, the racing world was shocked when police were called after an activist was filmed dumping 1000 litres of “oily sludge” onto the track at Flemington. There was also some huge drama on the morning of the Cup with another fancied runner, Lunar Flare, being scratched by Racing Victoria's vets.
You can read the full results of every race at Flemington here.
Gold Trip's run has created some incredible history.
It is the first time a horse has won the Melbourne Cup at a top weight of 57.5kg since Makybe Diva. The French horse is also the first horse in 99 years to win the Melbourne Cup with just one previous race win. Gold Trip is on a stunning hot streak, having also finished second in the Cox Plate and second in the Caulfield Cup.
Camorra, Numerian and Serpentine pulled up during their runs but did complete the race.
Zahra's win is the ultimate redemption story. The star jockey was suspended for three months and missed the 2021 Melbourne Cup for his involvement in the infamous Mornington house party that breached Covid-19 restrictions in Victoria. He had to watch on as the horse he had been booked to ride - Verry Elleegant won the Cup last year. Now he is the toast of the country.
“This time last year I was in Byron Bay and I was getting told off for drinking too much and it could have been my ride. Redemption day today. Just a miracle,” Zahra said.
“12 months ago I felt terrible and probably drinking my way out of it and [my wife] was saying ‘don’t drink too much. I said, “What do you want me to do? My horse just won the Melbourne Cup?’
“To come a full year and have redemption, with good mates of mine who train the horse and own the horse, my wife’s here, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”
Racing NSW's answer to the Melbourne Cup, The Big Dance, has been won by $12 galloper Rustic Steel at Royal Randwick.
The inaugural running of the $2 million race saw the 5yo gelding finish ahead of Cisco Bay and Sibaaq in the 20-strong field.
Although not a direct competitor to the Melbourne Cup, the Big Dance is a brainchild of NSW Racing boss Peter V'landys and looks to cash in on the biggest wagering day in Australia.
A video has been shared which shows the one horse that didn't finish the Melbourne Cup – Interpretation – is alright after pulling up.
Racing.com's James Tzaferis shared a video of Interpretation back in the pre-parade.
Interpretation back in the pre-parade and OK after pulling up in the Melbourne Cup @Racing pic.twitter.com/ySX1B74RRa
— James Tzaferis (@jtzaf) November 1, 2022
Three other horses which reportedly didn't finish the race – Camorra, Serpentine (99 lengths each) and Numerian (73 lengths) were all deemed to have finished the course.
Gold Trip has won the 2022 Melbourne Cup, romping home down the straight to beat Emissary and High Emocean, who came home strong in the final stages.
Jockey Mark Zahra was second in the Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate but was first in the biggest race on the calendar with a tremendous ride.
Asked on Ten if he could put into words how he felt about winning, Zahra said: "I can't. I feel like crying. It's unbelievable. What a day.
"He's a horse that when you go, you don't give him a chance to think about it. I was hoping no-one would come near he. It's just elation when I crossed the line."
READ: Melbourne Cup 2022 Finishing Order
Zahra said the final moments of the race were nerve-wracking. "(I was thinking) just piss off, no one come near me," he said.
"The last 50m I was thinking I'm going to win this. It just went forever the last bit. And I still can't believe it. Melbourne Cup, it's unbelievable."
Zahra had been suspended over the Mornington Airbnb drama in 2021 where he had four other jockeys were banned over a house party during lockdown in Victoria.
He was meant to ride 2021 winner Verry Elleegant.
He said he was still in disbelief.
"This time last year in Byron Bay and I was getting told off for drinking too much and it could have been my ride. Redemption day today. Just a miracle," he said.
12 months ago I felt terrible and probably drinking my way out of it and she (his wife) was saying don't drink too much. I said, 'What do you want me to do? My horse just won the Melbourne Cup?'
"For today, to come today and I've got good mates in the horse and it's unbelievable."
Co-trainer David Eustace was in disbelief over the win.
"I can't believe it. Obviously a bit overcome. Yeah, it's obviously a dream that we all want to achieve," he said.
"It's the pinnacle for our sport. To do it with Ciaron (trainer Maher), I'm so grateful to be training with him. And it's just a great honour to be doing that with all these good horses and an amazing team of staff that we have.
"It's a full credit to them to get five here and to, this horse who was so unlucky in the Caulfield Cup and so gutted when he got beat. And I thought he would get beat again. It's just quite incredible."
It was a race without great incident or controversy as Smokin' Romans led out early before Knights Order took the lead after the midway point.
As both horses faded out, Gold Trip hit the lead on the straight and held on for the win.
Those on second favourite Realm of Flowers may be in for a bad afternoon according to trainer Richard Freedman.
"She probably doesn't look as good as I was hoping to see her look. She's moving very well, fluid in her action. Her coat is a little off which does worry me a fraction but she looks very fit and well apart from that," he said of the $7 hopeful in the mounting yard.
Not long now to find out if he's correct as we're just minutes away from the great race.
Red hot favourite Deauville Legend was always expected to ease in the final hours before the Melbourne Cup – but not this significantly.
As short as $3.20 with some corporate bookmakers, the four-year-old gelding has dropped to more than $4 with PointsBet, PalmerBet and Ladbrokes. TAB has it out to $4.60.
Realm of Flowers has come in to $7 on TAB but Bet365 had it as far out as $16 earlier in the day.
The six-year-old mare has become the most-backed runner with bookies Ladbrokes and Bet 365 with a late plunge moving Anthony and Sam Freedman's runner into odds as short as $10 with BlueBet.
Realm Of Flowers is running at the lightest weight in the field, carrying just 50kg.
Some punters can cleary smell a fairytale finish after the horse famously faced a life-threatening leg infection before fighting back.
Montefilia is the third favourite at $9.50.
The rain has arrived at Flemington, sending punters running for shade and bookmakers scrambling.
The track is expected to be downgraded before the start of the great race, further playing into the hands of some of the top contenders.
Red hot favourite Deauville Legend will have stronger competition in the wet with the conditions playing into the hands of Realm of Flowers.
The rain was heavy enough for Network 10 to have to shift its live broadcast from an outside podium to an under cover area.
Presenter Michael Felgate said: "We've done a bit of repositioning during the break. We're under cover," he said.
"As you can see from the pictures, the rain is coming in sideways at the moment. As we said before, it's Melbourne. It will be sunny in 10 minutes' time. The worst time to get rain is during race day. The horses open up the track surface, the rain falls and it creates puddles. While the track has held together remarkably well, I expect we'll get a downgrade with the amount of rain.
"It looks a bit awkward. Could be worse. It's raining heavily enough to have an impact on the race."
There was even more drama on ABC News24 where presenter Stephanie Ferrier's live cross from Flemington was ruined by the unfriendly conditions.
She was forced to pull up in the middle of a sentence to try and hold onto her umbrella which was trying its best to escape in the blustery conditions.
"I tell you what’s streaming at the moment,” she said as a gust of wind hit.
“What is streaming down at the moment is the water flowing down the gutters. It’s going all over my feet at the moment.”
The track has officially been downgraded by Racing Victoria from a Soft 5 to a Soft 7.
Fairytale story Realm of Flowers' big secret is well and truly out the bag.
The six-year-old mare has become the most-backed runner with bookies Ladbrokes and Bet 365 with a late plunge moving Anthony and Sam Freedman's runner into odds as short as $10 with BlueBet.
Bet365 has also crunched the horse from $16 into $10.
Realm Of Flowers is running at the lightest weight in the field, carrying just 50kg.
Some punters can cleary smell a fairytale finish after the horse famously faced a life-threatening leg infection before fighting back.
Aussie trainer Grahame Begg had his dream of having a runner in the Melbourne Cup dashed hours before the great race – and he is not happy.
The field for the $7.75m Cup was reduced to 22 after Lunar Flare was ruled out on the morning of the race after presenting with lameness on Monday.
A vet inspection on Tuesday saw the seven-year-old mare scratched before the deadline.
“She improved markedly overnight, but in their opinion, not enough,” Begg said.
“To be truthful, we thought she was good enough to run. But it’s the Melbourne Cup and they (officials) are under pressure and they want horses to be absolutely perfect.
"I can understand that but there will be other horses going to the races today that will trot out a lot worse than her."
The move comes Racing Victoria in 2020 implemented its new Melbourne Cup protocols and horse welfare assessments after seven horses had died in the previous nine years. No horses died in last year's Cup.
However, the protocols have resulted in more international raiders being scratched than ever before and there has been anger in some stables that the officials have gone too far.
The death of Anthony Van Dyck, who broke down in the 2020 race having been the favourite to win, prompted an extensive Racing Victoria review.
Trainer Chris Waller and horse racing identity Ozzie Kheir earlier this week also expressed "disappointment" at having their horses scratched as a result of veterinary exams.
Melbourne Cup second favourite Loft was scratched because of a tendon issue that the horse's connections didn't think was an issue, while Durston was ruled out after a CT scan showed the runner was "at heightened risk of injury" after it discovered a "grey area" in the horse's left hind leg.
Point Nepean was also ruled out on Monday due to an elevated blood result.
Emissary has had its odds slashed by Sportsbet.
The British stayer was on Tuesday morning crunched from $41 into $26 with the corporate bookmaker. The five-year-old gelding hit the line strong wo win the Geelong Cup and the run has caught the eye of punters late.
Emissary is hoping to become the first horse since Dunaden in 2011 to win the Geelong Cup-Melbourne Cup double.
The winningest owner in Melbourne Cup history Lloyd Williams has slammed the entire field in the great race, calling it “an extremely weak race”.
Williams, who has owned the winning horse seven times (in 1981, 1985, 2007, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2020) cast his eye over the field for RadioTAB, taking a swipe at the race.
Williams, who has just one entry in Serpentine in the field this year, said he believes the internationals will dominate, according to punters.com.au.
There are just four true international raiders in this year's Cup – well down from the record 11 foreign horses that competed in 2018, the final Cup before the beginning of the pandemic.
“It’s an extremely weak race this race when you look at the top,” Williams said.
“I think that Gold Trip is a good horse, but he’s won one race in his life and he’s the topweight.
“When Greg (Carpenter) did this, he didn’t have a natural topweight.”
Racing Victoria has warned thousands of jobs statewide and $1.2b in economic activity could be lost unless the Federal Government delivers a “sensible” framework in its Gambling Review.
Brett Ratten was burning the midnight oil after Hawthorn’s elimination final win on Friday night to make it to The Valley in time to watch his horse Mornington Glory win the Group 1 Moir Stakes.
Group 1-winning trainer Phillip Stokes went back-to-back in the iconic Birdsville Cup, but this victory was even sweeter than last year.