Gutsy gamble pays off as hyped favourite's bubble bursts: Melb Cup ...

The 2023 Melbourne Cup has been run and won with the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Without A Fight completing the Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double for the first time in 22 years.

There were a number of standout performances in the race that stops the nation, but just as many head-scratchers as well.

Read on for our winners and losers out of the 2023 Melbourne Cup!

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MORE MELBOURNE CUP

HIGHLIGHTS & REPORT: Jockey’s bold gamble pays off in stunning 22-year double

FULL FINISHING ORDER: Where your horse finished in the Melbourne Cup

DIVIDENDS: How much did the winner, trifecta and first four pay?

WHO BACKED THE WINNER? The experts who nailed it

BIGGEST BETS LANDED: Who cashed in on the Cup?

‘HORRIBLE’: Delta’s Melb Cup spectacular divides fans after 16-year return

WINNERS

MARK ZAHRA

Much was made about whether Zahra had made the right decision to jump off last year’s winner Gold Trip and onto Without A Fight. What a call it turned out to be.

“I spoke to (a friend) and he said there’s not much in it (between Gold Trip and Without A Fight) but if you can get him to settle he will run it,” Zahra said on Channel 10 post race.

“We went through the race and the weather forecast, the stars aligned for Gold Trip last year and aligned for this horse this year. Just a few things and the way he won the Caulfield Cup, I was confident he would run it.”

Zahra gave Without A Fight a peach of a ride from the tricky barrier of 16, managing to position the horse on the fence, in about 15th position.

The horse was able to switch off in the run and saved for it’s blistering run in the straight with Zahra getting it into clear air at just the right time.

“If I could have thought I’d have that run from (barrier) 16 I would have said he’s unbeatable. But Sam and Lee and all their team, he was a gentleman for me today,” Zahra said.

“I went to the rail and switched off and probably got to the front earlier than last year.”

Zahra became the first jockey since Harry White in 1978 and 1979 to ride consecutive Melbourne Cup winners on different horses.

WITHOUT A FIGHT

What a horse.

His first run in Australia was in last year’s Melbourne Cup and the wet track was his undoing that day when finishing 13th.

He went away for a lengthy spell and was seen again in the Queensland winter, winning two races at Eagle Farm with ease, but it’s been this year’s spring that has been the making of him.

After a decent return in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes, this gelding then won the Caulfield Cup and now the Melbourne Cup, stamping himself as the country’s best stayer.

Settling just beyond midfield for much of the run, he was always going to be helped by the breakneck speed the race was run at, but that is taking nothing away from the horse, as only a staying star would be able to produce the turn-of-foot he did after such a gruelling 3200 metres.

Many will be looking forward to seeing him go on with and what heights he can reach.

CHRIS WALLER

He’s Australia’s best trainer and he once again proved why, saddling up the second and third placegetters behind Without A Fight.

The runner-up Soulcombe could be considered a hardluck story as he missed the start by three lengths, settled well back in the field before charging to the line to finish 2.25 lengths off first place.

Waller couldn’t sort out Soulcombe’s issues at the start, but it was an improvement on the Caulfield Cup horror show when the horse missed the jump by six lengths.

Waller won his first Melbourne Cup in 2021 with Verry Elleegant and if he can fix the barrier concerns, there’s every chance he adds a second with Soulcombe next year.

The most impressive training performance by Waller though was preparing rank outsider Sheraz to hand in a career best run to finish third at $151.

Sheraz still hasn’t won a race down under since arriving from France in 2021, but showed plenty of promise early in his Australian career.

His recent form wasn’t anything flash and off that, he probably deserved to be big odds, however he clearly grows a leg over two miles.

LOSERS

VAUBAN

He was hyped up as being one of the better international horses that has ever come to Australia to contest our great race, however he was pretty disappointing on face value despite enjoying a lovely run in transit.

Jockey Ryan Moore got off the fence and he and the horse seemed to travel up beautifully around the final turn but from there, he didn’t let down and quickly yielded ground over the final 300m.

Form expert David Gately said the high-pressure nature of the race “seemed to get to him”.

“He was travelling better than anything. I’m not sure what the rider has to say. There were many saying he was the winner but he didn’t finish it off at the end of a brutally run 3200m,” Gately said on Channel 10.

Vauban’s trainer Willie Mullens admitted his disappointment post-race but said that perhaps the strong tempo set by the frontrunners contributed to his horse’s downfall.

“I want to see the race again, see what the early pace was like and see where the winner and the placegetters were earlier in the race. Maybe we were just a little bit too far forward,” Mullens said.

Moore, who notoriously attempts to avoid a post-race comment, did this time provide some insight.

“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,” he said.

Considering his popularity in the market, it wasn’t surprising to see a few punters share their thoughts about the bubble-bursting run.

GOLD TRIP

Last year’s Melbourne Cup saw Without A Fight finish 13th while Gold Trip was a glittering winner.

In 2023, it would be Without A Fight turn in an excellent staying performance to prove victorious while Gold Trip failed to fire, struggling into 17th.

It was an underwhelming display from the defending champion, with no clear excuses given post race.

A key difference between 2022 and 2023 was the track condition, with Gold Trip winning on a preferred wet surface last year. It seems as if this time around, he didn’t appreciate the much firmer deck.

Post-race Gold Trip was found to be lame in the right front leg, which can certainly explain the underwhelming run.

ON PACE HORSES

The 2023 Melbourne Cup was a brutally run affair, with leader Serpentine running the field along at a very quick pace.

Passing the halfway mark, the first five horses put up four lengths on the rest of the field, ensuring the best stayer in the race was going to come to the fore.

You could see the leaders begin to tire as they approached the turn, which they did in the straight.

In fact, the top four horses finished no better than 14 lengths behind winner Vauban.