IT COULD BE A BIG WEEKEND FOR MARK ZAHRA AS HE LINES UP NUMEROUS TILTS AT GROUP 1 GLORY

By Darren Winningham | Thursday, December 5, 2024

Mark Zahra is certainly a jockey in demand this weekend.

He will ride Democracy Manifest in the Group 1 Northerly Stakes for trainer Chris Waller in Perth late Saturday afternoon.

After that race he will make his way to Perth airport and board a plane to Hong Kong to ride at the LONGINES Hong Kong International Racing (HKIR) at Sha Tin on Sunday where he will be reunited with the Anthony and Sam Freedman trained Without A Fight, the horse he partnered to an historic Caulfield Cup / Melbourne Cup double last last year, in the HK$24 million LONGINES Hong Kong Vase.

Without A Fight has been exceptional on the track at Sha Tin the lead up to this assignment. Sam Freedman told me after his solid work on the course proper: “He had a nice gallop. He wasn’t here to break any records. He had a nice stretch of his legs. His action was great.”

And there was an added plus.

The firm track at Sha Tin will pose no issue with Without A Fight with Freedman saying: “He has performed well on fast tracks. He is probably a horse that does not react on soft grounds, so the conditions should be perfect for him”.
_______________________________________________________________________

Zahra has other feature races on the day. He will also be in action in the HK$26 million LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint, the second leg of the Group 1 feature races, where Zahra will ride Recommendation for Ciaron Maher.

Maher reported on Recommendation was positive. “He has travelled over really well. He is nice and bright, and I am happy with where he is at. He likes to be fresh and well in his work – he seems to be like that.”

Maher was concerned that the Sha Tin track could be too firm come Sunday saying that Recommendation, “probably would prefer a little bit of give”.
_______________________________________________________________________

The HK$36 million LONGINES Hong Kong mile is the third leg of the features. Zahra has picked up the ride on the Great Britain representative Docklands who is trained by Harry Eustace. The four-year-old colt has been a star at track work at Sha Tin all week.

Stable representative Laura Pike said: “We went to Melbourne at the end of September, so we've been away quite a long time. He picked up prize money and he beat the track record despite finishing fifth in the Cox Plate.

“We arrived in Hong Kong 10 days ago, so we've had a bit longer than everyone else and we're just keeping him ticking over. He’s had a nice routine canter on the grass. He's so fit, so we're just trying to freshen him up and keep him happy. He seems in great form.

“He's going to do another bit on the grass on Thursday, when he'll have a blow before his race on Sunday. He loves his work. He's very bonny. He loves the cameras.”

More articles