Without A Fight Lands the Melbourne Cup-Caulfield Cup Double

[Wandering Eyes]

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's homebred Without A Fight (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) posted an emphatic victory in the 163rd running of the G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup just 17 days after his win in the G1 Caulfield Cup.

It was back-to-back wins in the race for jockey Mark Zahra, who deserted last year's winner Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}) to ride the six-year-old for trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman.

Formerly trained in Britain by another father-and-son team, Simon and Ed Crisford, Without A Fight joined the Freedman stable after finishing 13th in last year's Melbourne Cup. He becomes the 12th horse in history to complete the Melbourne Cup-Caulfield Cup double and is the second Melbourne Cup winner for his sire Teofilo after Cross Counter (Ire).

“To the trainers' credit, he was an absolutely gentleman for me today,” said Zahra. “He just switched off and I was behind Alenquer. In front of him was Gold Trip and then Vauban and I thought 'I'm just going to stay here.' When it opened up I was on a horse with an electric turn of foot and he just pulled me all the way to the line and it was all over.”

 

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