Without A Fight shows his staying prowess with Melbourne Cup redemption
Son of Teofilo adds to record books for Freedmans and Zahra in dominant display
Without A Fight entered modern Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) history yesterday when he produced an emphatic performance to land Australia’s biggest race at Flemington and in doing so added further weight to his sire, Teofilo’s (Galileo), growing reputation as a source of high-class stayers suitable for the country’s stiffest test.
Anthony and his son Sam, members of the Freedman training dynasty, also etched their own names on the honour roll and jockey Mark Zahra became the first rider in 44 years to achieve back-to-back Cup wins on different horses, such were the varying narratives to emerge from the 2023 race.
Without A Fight, ridden by Zahra, also completed the now rare Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m)-Melbourne Cup double, continuing his dominance in the staying division since becoming a permanent Australian resident 12 months ago.
With yesterday’s victory, the seven-year-old broke a 22-year hoodoo for Caulfield Cup winners in the Flemington showpiece, becoming the first horse since Sheila Laxon’s elite mare Ethereal (Rhythm) in 2001 to triumph in both races in the same calendar year.
The in-form Zahra, who rode four winners on Cox Plate day, agonised over his decision to ride Without A Fight in preference to last year’s winner Gold Trip (Outstrip) in this year’s Melbourne Cup, revealing he sought the advice of a noted form analyst before making the call.
“Mark Hunter is a good friend and I rate him as one of the best judges in Australia,” Zahra said. “I spoke to him at length about it and he said, ‘you know, there’s not much in it, but if you can get him to settle, he’ll run it’.
“We went through the race, the weather forecast. The stars aligned for Gold Trip last year and they aligned for this horse this year.
“I don’t get to pick the result, I have to pick them before then and there was just a few things, the weight and the way he won the Caulfield Cup, I was confident he’d run it out today.”
Without A Fight drew barrier 16, but Zahra was able to find the fence and he was satisfied with his early position.
“I was following Alenquer, probably not the best chance but D Oliver, in front of him was Gold Trip, in front of him was Vauban,” Zahra continued. “So, I thought I’m just going to stay here. They all made their moves, which opened up for me and I was on a horse you can just sit on.
“He’s got an electric turn of foot, and he just pulled me all the way to the line, and it was all over.
“I stood up in the irons and gave them the two fingers for two winners. I don’t know what I was thinking – idiot.”
Without A Fight ($8) came home two and a quarter lengths ahead of the Chris Waller-trained Soulcombe (Frankel), who ran well after dwelling in the stalls, while the runner-up’s stablemate Sheraz (Sea The Stars) was another half a length back in third, massively outrunning his $151 starting price.
The Willie Mullins-trained favourite Vauban (Galiway) ($5.50), after racing prominently throughout, didn’t look comfortable in the straight and eventually finished a disappointing 14th while Gold Trip, who was ridden by James McDonald, was a distant 17th.
The Sheikh Mohammed Obaid al Maktoum-owned–and–bred Without A Fight, who finished 13th in the Cup 12 months ago when trained by Simon and Ed Crisford, remained in Australia after that first attempt, with Sheikh Mohammed Obaid entrusting the horse with the Freedmans after Sam built a good relationship with him while working in England for Roger Varian.
In five starts since last year’s race the gelding has won four races, two Group races in Queensland earlier this year and the renowned double this spring. His only defeat came at the hands of high-class weight-for-age gelding Alligator Blood (All Too Hard) when finishing a first-up sixth in the Underwood Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m) on September 23.
The Freedman name has been synonymous with the Cup – Hall Of Fame inductee Lee credited with training five winners including champion mare Makybe Diva (Desert King) to the last two of her remarkable three victories – and yesterday it was his brother Anthony and nephew Sam who officially signed their names in the record books.
Sam was front and centre at Flemington yesterday as the face of the operation, as he has been ever since joining his father in the business in 2017.
Yesterday, there was a crowd of 84,492 at Flemington to witness the Freedmans’ achievement, the largest Cup day attendance since 2017.
“It’s been a great race for the family,” Sam Freedman said. “It’s been a while between drinks but it’s good to get another one and credit to the old man. He’s been incredible through all of this, his wisdom and experience in nursing a horse through like this.
“He went up to Queensland with him and looked after him up here and got him right into form and brought him back to Victoria and he’s been brilliant ever since so credit to him.”
In terms of plaudits for Darley’s former shuttler Teofilo, What A Fight joins paternal brothers Twilight Payment (2020) and Godolphin’s own Cross Counter, the 2018 winner, to land Australia’s historic race.
A winner of seven races in the northern hemisphere, three of them at stakes level, Without A Fight has banked almost $9.5 million in prize–money and in another example of the widening gulf between Australia and much of Europe, more than $9 million of it has been won since joining the Freedmans, and $8.2 million in 17 days this spring.
The seven-year-old [to southern hemisphere time] is out of European Group 3 winner Khor Sheed (Dubawi), herself a half-sister to Group 1 winner Prince Kirk (Selkirk), a winner from 1500 to 2000 metres.
Further back in his pedigree is an Australian connection, the somewhat infamous Curata Storm (Dieu D’Or), the John Hawkes-trained stayer who caused a huge boilover in the 2001 Mercedes Classic (Gr 1, 2400m).
In his sole Group 1 win – he never won another race – Curata Storm defeated top-class horses such as Tie The Knot (Nassipour), Sky Heights (Zabeel), Second Coming (Oak Ridge) and Kaapstad Way (Kaapstad).
Meanwhile, Teofilo, the sire of 24 Group 1 scorers and 112 stakes winners globally, with 18 of those stakes winners and five elite-level scorers bred in the southern hemisphere. He shuttled to Australia six times in seven years, his last trip to Kelvinside in the Hunter Valley coming in 2017, a crop which resulted in 40 live foals.
His dual Group 1-winning son Kermadec stands at Darley’s Northwood Park. From four crops of racing age he has sired seven stakes winners, four of them at the highest level: Montefilia, Willowy, Tuvalu and Amokura.
He is also the sire of Singapore’s versatile stakes winner Lim’s Kosciuszko.
Teofilo is due to stand the 2024 northern hemisphere breeding season at Darley’s Kildangan Stud base for an unchanged fee of €30,000 (approx. AU$50,000).
What the jockeys said. . .
Joao Moreira (Soulcombe, 2nd): “Obviously very proud of him putting on a good performance. Things didn’t really go his way. Not jumping that well made it a little bit difficult for him, as well as getting into a bit of traffic at the 600, 700 metres also counted against him winning the race but I’m very proud of how he ran.”
Beau Mertens (Sheraz, 3rd): “Amazing run, as you would have seen. We got into a lovely spot, he relaxed really nicely for me once everything settled and Chris and the team came up with the plan just to have him tucked away for as long as possible and once we produced him in the straight he let down with a nice turn of foot and stayed the trip terrifically. Couldn’t be happier, the team had him in great order and it’s just fantastic.”
Kerrin McEvoy (Ashrun, 4th): “He ran great, he run fourth, and testament to Ciaron Maher and Dave Eustace and their veterinary team to get him back racing great. He had a nice trip around and gave me a good ride. I just had to wait and ease out a bit at the top of the lane but he’s finished off really well.”
Daniel Stackhouse (Daqiansweet Junior, 5th): “He’s run enormous I thought. He travelled well, he just stepped a bit slow, but travelled well into the corner, made a bit of ground and tried his heart out, so I’m very proud of him.”
Teodore Nugent (Interpretation, 6th): “Super effort to back up off six days after the Bendigo Cup and to come here and run a super race. Unfortunately got baulked at the top of the straight but got outside horses with 350 to go and he really relished the line. Best work was his last 50 and really pleased with the performance.”
Zac Purton (Absurde, 7th): “He travelled nicely, he presented at the right time, he just didn’t run through the line. Anyway, he run well, but not what we wanted.”
Ben Thompson (True Marvel, 8th): “Brilliant run. He’s finished eighth, he stayed, as he’s done well in the past and he had to cover ground out wide but he just found such a nice rhythm that he got to fifth up the straight but just the class of those that beat him home came to the fore late. Great run.”
Billy Egan (Vow And Declare, 9th): “He had a lovely run from the gate, probably just the tempo didn’t come back out of it and have that midrace break he needed at that distance, but I thought he ran really well.”
Rachel King (Military Mission, 10th): “Super run, he just got a bit tired the last 200.”
Dylan Gibbons (Okita Soushi, 11th): “He probably got too far back to win, but I thought the way he maintained himself through the line was a good effort. That was pretty fun.”
Jamie Kah (More Felons, 12th): “He ran really good. On the turn he gave me a bit of a scare, I thought we were going to be right in the finish but he probably just saw it out that last 200, he had a really good blow but he ran well though.”
Craig Williams (Lastotchka, 13th): “We didn’t have any luck from the barrier, three wide, had cover, lost cover, and under the circumstances she’s run a gallant race for her first race start in Australia but we were beaten on straightening.”
Ryan Moore (Vauban, 14th): “Obviously a disappointing run from him. Maybe he didn’t fire today, the winner was very good, and we didn’t get home today unfortunately.”
Hollie Doyle (Future History, 15th): “He ran really well, got a nice pitch and got into a beautiful rhythm, I just think it tested his stamina late.”
Kohei Matsuyama (Breakup, 16th): “He couldn’t break well from the gate and couldn’t get into a nice rhythm.”
James McDonald (Gold Trip, 17th): “He travelled into lovely just the effort told late.”
Craig Newitt (Virtuous Circle, 18th): “He was a bit disappointing. He was a fair way out of the race and just never run on.”
Jye McNeil (Serpentine, 19th): “He went forward and found a nice rhythm, just found it a bit hard when the pressure went on today.”
Zac Lloyd (Kalapour, 20th): “The horse didn’t really experience much of an economical run and it just told late. He tried hard, but just (had to do) too much work.”
Damien Oliver (Alenquer, 21st): “I had a good run, I just would have liked him to relax a little bit better. Probably just for mine at this stage didn’t run out a strong two miles.”
Mark Du Plessis (Magical Lagoon, 22nd): “Maybe just a bit too aggressive and probably too far.”