Mark Zahra (born 27 June 1982)
[ is an Australian jockey who is notable for having won the ]Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is an annual Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia, at the Flemington Racecourse. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and older, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club that forms part of the ...
on Without A Fight in 2023 and on Gold Trip
Gold Trip (foaled 10 March 2017) is a multiple Group 1 winning French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse that is most notable for winning the 2022 Melbourne Cup.
Background
Gold Trip is out of the Aga Khan mare Sarvana, who was unplaced in one minor r ...
in 2022, as well as the Caulfield Cup
The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under Handicap (horse racing), handicap conditions.
This is for all horses aged three years old and older. It takes place over a distance of 2400 met ...
on Without A Fight in 2023 and on Verry Elleegant
Verry Elleegant (12 October 2015 – 18 February 2024) was a New Zealand-bred Australian-trained Thoroughbred racehorse that won 11 Group One races. She was crowned the 2020/2021 Australian Racehorse of the Year, and was the winner of the 2021 M ...
in 2020.
He is the ninth jockey to ride back to back Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is an annual Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia, at the Flemington Racecourse. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and older, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club that forms part of the ...
winners.
Racing career
Mark Zahra started his racing career in Western Australia and started his apprenticeship with Dean White. His first raceday ride was on Wail Spring on Boxing Day 1998 at Geraldton
Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth.
As of the , Geraldt ...
Racecourse. He won his first race at the same track on 1 March 1999 on Winrosy. He then moved to Victoria to work for Brian Cox at Wodonga and later with Tony McEvoy at Lindsay Park.
In August 2010, Zahra was found guilty of reckless riding and suspended for 29 meetings after causing a serious spinal injury to jockey Danny Brereton, who fell from Marquee Player in the Mitchell Mackenzie stakes at Moonee Valley. Brereton is still disabled as a result, and is only able to walk with the assistance of a walking aid.
Zahra's first Group One
Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...
victory was in the 2006 Doomben Cup
The Doomben Cup is a Brisbane Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older, run under Weight for Age conditions over a distance of 2000 metres at Doomben Racecourse, Brisbane, Australia during the Queensland W ...
on Above Deck, trained by Jim Conlan. As of early December 2023, he has ridden 1,359 winners, including 28 in Group 1 races.
Major wins
International wins
* 2004 Raffles Cup
The Raffles Cup was a Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Kranji Racecourse in Singapore. Contested on turf over a left-handed course, the domestic Group One race was open to horses age three and older.
The Raffles Cup was inaugurated in 199 ...
in Singapore on Mayo's Music
* 2022 Singapore Gold Cup
The Singapore Gold Cup was a Thoroughbred horse race held annually in November at the Singapore Turf Club. Contested on turf over a left-handed course, the domestic Group 1 race was run over a distance of 2,000 metres and was open to local horses ...
in Singapore on Hong Kong Great
* 2025 Queen Anne Stakes
The Queen Anne Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and is scheduled to take p ...
on Docklands
Australian wins
* 2006 Doomben Cup
The Doomben Cup is a Brisbane Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older, run under Weight for Age conditions over a distance of 2000 metres at Doomben Racecourse, Brisbane, Australia during the Queensland W ...
on Above Deck
* 2008 T J Smith Stakes on Rockdale
* 2017 Coolmore Stud Stakes
The Coolmore Stud Stakes, registered as the Ascot Vale Stakes, is a Victoria Racing Club Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, at set weights, run over 1200 metres at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia, on Vi ...
on Merchant Navy
* 2018 Australian Derby
The Australian Derby is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds at set weights held at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in April, during the Autumn ATC Championships Carnival. The race is considered to b ...
on Levendi
* 2018 VRC Sprint Classic on Santa Ana Lane
* 2019 Caulfield Guineas
The Caulfield Guineas is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held over 1600 metres (1 mile) at set weights for three-year-old horses at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia. Total prize money is A$3 million.
The race ...
on Super Seth
* 2019 T J Smith Stakes on Santa Ana Lane
* 2019 Zipping Classic
The Zipping Classic, registered as the MRC Sandown Classic is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race held under weight for age conditions over a distance of 2400 metres run at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in late- ...
on Southern France
* 2020 Turnbull Stakes
The Turnbull Stakes is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race, for horses four years old and older, run under set weights with penalties conditions over a distance of 2,000 metres. The race is held at Flemington Racecourse, M ...
on Verry Elleegant
Verry Elleegant (12 October 2015 – 18 February 2024) was a New Zealand-bred Australian-trained Thoroughbred racehorse that won 11 Group One races. She was crowned the 2020/2021 Australian Racehorse of the Year, and was the winner of the 2021 M ...
* 2020 Caulfield Cup
The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under Handicap (horse racing), handicap conditions.
This is for all horses aged three years old and older. It takes place over a distance of 2400 met ...
on Verry Elleegant
Verry Elleegant (12 October 2015 – 18 February 2024) was a New Zealand-bred Australian-trained Thoroughbred racehorse that won 11 Group One races. She was crowned the 2020/2021 Australian Racehorse of the Year, and was the winner of the 2021 M ...
* 2022 C F Orr Stakes
The C F Orr Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1400 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in February. Total prize money is A$750,000.
Hist ...
on Tofane
Tofane is a mountain group in the Dolomites of northern Italy, west of Cortina d'Ampezzo in the province of Belluno, Veneto. Most of the Tofane lie within the Ampezzo Dolomites Natural Park.
Peaks
The highest peaks of the Tofane group are ''To ...
* 2022 Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is an annual Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia, at the Flemington Racecourse. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and older, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club that forms part of the ...
on Gold Trip
Gold Trip (foaled 10 March 2017) is a multiple Group 1 winning French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse that is most notable for winning the 2022 Melbourne Cup.
Background
Gold Trip is out of the Aga Khan mare Sarvana, who was unplaced in one minor r ...
* 2023 Turnbull Stakes
The Turnbull Stakes is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race, for horses four years old and older, run under set weights with penalties conditions over a distance of 2,000 metres. The race is held at Flemington Racecourse, M ...
on Gold Trip
Gold Trip (foaled 10 March 2017) is a multiple Group 1 winning French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse that is most notable for winning the 2022 Melbourne Cup.
Background
Gold Trip is out of the Aga Khan mare Sarvana, who was unplaced in one minor r ...
* 2023 Caulfield Cup
The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under Handicap (horse racing), handicap conditions.
This is for all horses aged three years old and older. It takes place over a distance of 2400 met ...
on Without A Fight
* 2023 Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is an annual Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia, at the Flemington Racecourse. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and older, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club that forms part of the ...
on Without A FightAustralian Oaks
The Australian Oaks is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three year old fillies at set weights run over a distance of 2,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in the autumn during the ATC Championships series. The Aus ...
on Autumn Angel
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahra, Mark
Living people
Australian jockeys
1980s births