Melbourne Cup winner Mark Zahra, Gold Trip jockey, missed 2021 race by drinking too much and suspended

A year ago, this time around, jockey Mark Zahra was drinking heavily and in despair after missing out on winning the Melbourne Cup.

Now, in the ultimate turnaround, Zahra is the Cup champion – having guided Gold Trip to victory in Australia’s biggest race at Flemington on Tuesday.

Zahra, 40, was at the center of scandal last year when he was suspended for three months for the notorious AirBnb Covid party scandal.

He had been tipped to steer 2021 winner Verry Elleegant to glory that year. Instead he watched the race from Byron Bay – and admits he was told he was drinking too much as he drowned his sorrows.

“At this time last year in Byron Bay, I was criticized for drinking too much and [Verry Elleegant] could have been my turn,” he admitted after the win.

‘Redemption day today. Just a miracle. 12 months ago I was feeling bad and probably drinking to get out of it and [my wife] said “don’t drink too much”.

“I said, ‘What do you want me to do? My horse has just won the Melbourne Cup!”

“For today, to come today – it’s amazing.”

Zahra was banned for three months for lying to stewards and attending an illicit party on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria with several other jockeys in August 2021.

He was the fifth jockey to be banned for breaching Covid restrictions at the party.

This cost him his race over Verry Elleegant at Flemington, which was given to winning jockey James Macdonald instead.

Jamie Kah, Ben Melham, Ethan Brown, Céline Gaudray were also hit with a three-month ban from the party.

They were arrested after police were called to the AirBnb home at 11.50pm on a Saturday evening following a noise complaint from a neighbour, in breach of Victoria’s then 9pm Covid curfew.

Emotional Zahra twice dropped an F-bomb live as he was interviewed moments after his Cup win and celebrated with his delighted wife Elyse.

“The last 50 meters, I thought, fuck, I’m gonna win this!” the father of one-year-old daughter, Harper, leaked Ten’s TV coverage.

”[I was thinking] fuck you, no one comes near me. It’s just gone forever the last bit. And I still can’t believe it. The Melbourne Cup is amazing.

“I literally thought I was a little far out here but my only plan was not to get too close because I thought if I spent fuel early I would be a little behind.

“As they jostled I had to travel more and more and I thought I always traveled so well here. I waited and waited and with the horse I always said when you go you gotta go. Damn I was right.

‘It’s just amazing. It’s gonna be a good night.

He added: “I feel like crying. It’s incredible. What a day.

“He’s a horse that when you go there you don’t give him a chance to think about it. I hoped no one would come near me.

“It was just elation when I crossed the line.”

Delighted wife Elyse interrupted the post-race interview to reveal her husband’s winning philosophy behind the victory.

“We don’t do seconds anymore, he said this week,” she said. ‘No more seconds.’

The 52kg jockey – who has more than 1,300 race victories to his name, including 23 Group 1 victories – has paid tribute to his grandfather for introducing him to the sport.

“I probably have to thank my grandfather who was a crazy gambler and took me and my two brothers to the races,” he said.

“I had a little bug – I wasn’t bad at school but I had trouble paying attention and behaving.

‘I decided to go to 10th grade and decided that I should come and do three months [apprenticeship] – and I never left.

“I have to shout out to Mum, Dad and everyone in Western Australia. If they didn’t have a heart attack, they’d be going crazy right now.

“I’m sure they have a shindig somewhere and drink a lot of champagne. Drink it for me.