Latest news with #MarkZahra
The Australian
09-08-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
Ciaron Maher stayer makes Melbourne Cup statement after blistering Travis Harrison Cup win
Relentless Voyager has emerged as a major player for Melbourne Cup-qualifying The Archer Stakes (2500m) next month at Flemington with an ominous Travis Harrison Cup (2040m) win at The Valley. Relentless Voyager, one of four Ciaron Maher-trained stayers in the field on Saturday, settled last but sailed past the opposition 'halfway up the straight' under 61.5kg. Dual Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Mark Zahra lauded the emphatic performance. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'When I came off the bit he let rip and it was all over halfway up the straight,' Zahra said. 'You could definitely be closer with a better gate but he can definitely relax, which is half the trouble with a stayer and he's got a turn of foot. 'With 61.5kg then, to come from last at The Valley in the straight and to have them claimed halfway up the straight, pretty promising. 'They thought he'd want further but he was on the ball today … he's going to The Archer (next), he'll be hard to beat there.' Relentless Voyager has a month to get over the run before The Archer on September 13 at Flemington. The six-year-old gelding pulled up lame in the off foreleg. Relentless Voyager returned $8.50 on Saturday. Nellie Leylax, trained by Annabel and Rob Archibald, dictated the race and threatened to pinch the event with eventual third-placed favourite Sayedaty Sadaty beaten, until Relentless Voyager arrived on the scene. Australian Bloodstock-owned Relentless Voyager and Sayedaty Sadaty impressed assistant trainer Jack Turnbull. 'Both horses ran enormous, but he's (Relentless Voyager) starting to show his true colours now he's getting fitter, once we step to 2500m in The Archer hopefully he can improve again,' Turnbull said. The powerhouse Maher stable has used the Travis Harrison Cup in previous years to launch or build on subsequent Cups campaigns. Duke De Sessa placed fifth in the Travis Harrison Cup last year and eventually won the Caulfield Cup. Turnbull said Relentless Voyager would continue to improve. 'His form is very good and he's so lightly raced in Australia,' Turnbull said. 'It's been a very good race day for us, quite a lot of our good stayers kicked off here or ran well here and I'm sure he'll be one of those in time. 'He will head to The Archer and we'll do our best to get him qualified (for the Melbourne Cup).' Relentless Voyager (left) finishes over the top of leader Nellie Leylax. Picture: Photos via Getty Images Sayedaty Sadaty will also head to The Archer next start, with Caulfield Cup ambitions on the horizon. 'His run was huge, the leader (Nellie Leylax) of Annabel and Rob's just slowed up a fraction and he's a vulnerable horse when you do that,' Turnbull said. 'You've got to get the revs up on him and today, staying at 2000m possibly again has probably been the difference. 'Once you see him build and pick up he's solid to the line, he's not stopping, take nothing away from Sayedaty, he was good.' The Valley played perfectly on Saturday - the first meeting back at the track after three-month winter hiatus - with horses able to win from all positions. Gilbert Gardiner Sports reporter Gilbert Gardiner is a sports reporter for the Herald Sun and Sunday Herald Sun. @gilbertgardiner Gilbert Gardiner
News.com.au
09-08-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Ciaron Maher stayer Relentless Voyager emerges as Melbourne Cup contender with blistering Travis Harrison Cup win at The Valley
Relentless Voyager has emerged as a major player for Melbourne Cup-qualifying The Archer Stakes (2500m) next month at Flemington with an ominous Travis Harrison Cup (2040m) win at The Valley. Relentless Voyager, one of four Ciaron Maher -trained stayers in the field on Saturday, settled last but sailed past the opposition 'halfway up the straight' under 61.5kg. Dual Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Mark Zahra lauded the emphatic performance. 'When I came off the bit he let rip and it was all over halfway up the straight,' Zahra said. 'You could definitely be closer with a better gate but he can definitely relax, which is half the trouble with a stayer and he's got a turn of foot. 'With 61.5kg then, to come from last at The Valley in the straight and to have them claimed halfway up the straight, pretty promising. 'They thought he'd want further but he was on the ball today … he's going to The Archer (next), he'll be hard to beat there.' Relentless Voyager has a month to get over the run before The Archer on September 13 at Flemington. The six-year-old gelding pulled up lame in the off foreleg. Relentless Voyager returned $8.50 on Saturday. Nellie Leylax, trained by Annabel and Rob Archibald, dictated the race and threatened to pinch the event with eventual third-placed favourite Sayedaty Sadaty beaten, until Relentless Voyager arrived on the scene. RELENTLESS VOYAGER ðŸ'¥ðŸ'¥ The British import swamps them in the Travis Harrison Cup! What an exciting Cups prospect for @cmaherracing and @Austbloodstock ðŸ�† — 7HorseRacing ðŸ�Ž (@7horseracing) August 9, 2025 Australian Bloodstock-owned Relentless Voyager and Sayedaty Sadaty impressed assistant trainer Jack Turnbull. 'Both horses ran enormous, but he's (Relentless Voyager) starting to show his true colours now he's getting fitter, once we step to 2500m in The Archer hopefully he can improve again,' Turnbull said. The powerhouse Maher stable has used the Travis Harrison Cup in previous years to launch or build on subsequent Cups campaigns. Duke De Sessa placed fifth in the Travis Harrison Cup last year and eventually won the Caulfield Cup. Turnbull said Relentless Voyager would continue to improve. 'His form is very good and he's so lightly raced in Australia,' Turnbull said. 'It's been a very good race day for us, quite a lot of our good stayers kicked off here or ran well here and I'm sure he'll be one of those in time. 'He will head to The Archer and we'll do our best to get him qualified (for the Melbourne Cup).' Sayedaty Sadaty will also head to The Archer next start, with Caulfield Cup ambitions on the horizon. 'His run was huge, the leader (Nellie Leylax) of Annabel and Rob's just slowed up a fraction and he's a vulnerable horse when you do that,' Turnbull said. 'You've got to get the revs up on him and today, staying at 2000m possibly again has probably been the difference. 'Once you see him build and pick up he's solid to the line, he's not stopping, take nothing away from Sayedaty, he was good.' The Valley played perfectly on Saturday - the first meeting back at the track after three-month winter hiatus - with horses able to win from all positions.
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jubilant Aussie jockey Mark Zahra reveals he's jetting out to Mykonos and Ibiza to party with DJ Fisher as he plots celebration tour after conquering Ascot aboard Docklands
Mark Zahra had a glint in his eye and well he might. He had came and conquered Ascot, making his first ride at the Royal meeting a winning one, and now the party could start properly. Zahra is one of Australia's top jockeys, a proud member of an exclusive club of riders who have landed back-to-back renewals of the Melbourne Cup, and he showed his ability to the world when coaxing Docklands home to win The Queen Anne Stakes. There was a carnival atmosphere around the paddock, as racegoers from Down Under flocked to let Zahra know how appreciative they were of his efforts to deny hot favourite Rosallion by a nose in the Group One race over a mile. It was clear there were going to be celebrations and those were not going to be restricted to the stands. Zahra couldn't wait to reveal that Ascot was a stopping off destination en route to Ibiza, Europe's party capital. He and his wife, Elyse, are busy making plans to find a babysitter for their daughter, Harper, for when they get to 'The White Isle' so they can hit the dancefloor and toast the gutsy Docklands. 'My mate, Fisher (a DJ), plays at Universe, the new club they have just opened,' said Zahra with a broad grin. 'I think we will be heading there, I reckon! Me and the wife like to have a night out, so we will be getting a babysitter I reckon. 'I've got Mykonos before then with Jamie Spencer and a few of the other boys. I've got to get through that alive first and then we will go to Ibiza!' Zahra is well entitled to dine out on this success. He gave Docklands a magnificent ride, overcoming the fact he dropped his whip with 200 yards to run to get the five-year-old's head down when it mattered. He is no stranger to success, having partnered champions such as Verry Ellegant, Gold Trip, Without A Fight and Merchant Navy, but the experience of being at the Royal meeting was all new to him. As we stood in front of the weighing room, Zahra kept glancing up at the towering stand behind him to take in all the sights and sounds. Inevitably, he made a comparisons to the race back home that stops a nation. 'It's a bit different to Melbourne,' he said. 'It's very laid back, very green and everything is behind the stands. Melbourne is out the front of the stands, everything is on top of you. 'They are both great atmospheres in their own way, it's pretty hard to compare them. They are just as good as each is a pinch me moment. You come in, get one ride on the Tuesday and win on it – I'll keep that strike rate, that's for certain! 'It's hard to put this into words. It's going to be something I look back on for a very long time. The closer we got to the race, the more Harry (Eustace, trainer) filled me with confidence and he was right. 'It was amazing walking in. There were so many Aussies in the crowd, I could see them standing by the rails and they were screaming. It was just great to come back to that kind of reception. 'You look at that amazing stand and you can feel the atmosphere, it's what it's all about. I won't forget this for a long time. 'There was no relief – I'm just excited! The horse was 20/1 so I didn't have any pressure on me.' Zahra had ridden Docklands for Eustace in Hong Kong last December for Australian owners O T I Racing, with the horse – who had previously won the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2023 – named after an area in Melbourne. 'I was asked to come over and do a job and it was great to deliver,' said Zahra. 'People put their faith in you and it's so satisfying when you are able to come over and repay them. It's so very special.'
The Age
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
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.
Sydney Morning Herald
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
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.
