Caulfield Cup winning jockey Mark Zahra has been suspended and fined for overuse of the whip during Saturday’s $5 million race. Zahra timed his run perfectly as Without A Fight came from worse than midfield to edge out West Wind Blows in the straight and claim the world’s richest 2400m handicap on Saturday.
Without A Fight claims epic Caulfield Cup victory. But Racing Victoria stewards found he hit his mount with the whip nine times before the 100-metre mark and 13 in total. The champion jockey was hit with a seven-meeting ban and a massive $50,000 fine. But he has decided to take the ban between the Cox Plate and Victoria Derby, meaning he will be able to ride both. While that decision for Zahra was easy, the call to ride Without a Fight over Gold Trip was a different story.