An Aussie has lobbed in the winner's circle at Royal Ascot on his way to Ibiza
Star jockey Mark Zahra booked a holiday to Spanish island Ibiza to escape the cold drudgery of a Melbourne winter and has ended up in the winner's circle at Royal Ascot.
Zahra was talked into breaking up his long-haul trip to ride Docklands in the opening race of the prestigious three-day English carnival on Tuesday by trainer Harry Eustace and a group of Australian connections headed by OTI syndicator Terry Henderson.
He quickly repaid their faith. Zahra won the 1600-metre group 1 Queen Anne Stakes in a driving photo finish, causing connections heart palpitations when he dropped his whip 200m from the line.
'I was so scared about the whip rules I thought it would just be easier to throw it away at the 200,' Zahra joked to ITV after the race.
Zahra, who won the 2022 and 2023 Melbourne Cups, was surprised by the level of support in the stands.
'Hearing all the Aussies over the fence – even though the horse is English – you'd have thought he was Aussie by all the screams,' he said.
'Amazing experience for unbelievable people. This just started as a stop-off on the way to a trip to Ibiza, so to turn into a massive win like this is very special. My family back home are watching and they will be absolutely thrilled.'
Trainer Eustace has strong Australian connections. His brother David trained alongside Ciaron Maher before relocating to Hong Kong, and they flew Docklands to Melbourne last year to run in the Cox Plate.
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