Without A Fight (IRE) did not strike a blow when well-fancied in the Melbourne Cup. Still, the decision to leave him in Australia with Anthony and Sam Freedman paid an instant dividend when a fast-finishing winner of the Group III Lord Mayors Cup at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Ridden by Mark Zahra, the 6yo son of Teofilo (IRE) came with a barnstorming finish to defeat the favourite Luncies (GB) (Iffraaj) by a widening one and three-quarter lengths with Berdibek (FR) (Dark Angel) a length back in third.
Zahra admitted he knew very little about the winner, who is expected to make his next start in the $1,200,000 Group II QEII (2200m) at Eagle Farm on June 10.
“It’s the first time I’ve been on him,” Zahra admitted.
“It’s his first run after a long break. I wanted to be quiet early and went back and got a spot.
“They went at a good enough gallop. He needed luck in the straight, and it opened up, but his turn-of-foot was pretty good.
“Anthony and Sam have taken their time with him to get him right. “He went from maybe finishing second to easing up on the line.
“It was a very good performance.”
A three-time stakes winner in Europe for Simon and Ed Crisford, including the Group III John Smith’s Silver Cup Stakes at York, Without A Fight was defeated a head by Hukum in a Group II at Meydan. That son of Sea The Stars handed Desert Crown his first defeat in the recent Group III Brigadier Gerrard Stakes at Sandown after closing out last year with a win in the Group 1 Coronation Cup.
A homebred for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, Without A Fight advances his record to eight wins, three seconds and four thirds from 19 starts with earnings of $526,620.
He is the best of four winners from five to race for the Group III-winning Dubawi mare Khor Sheed a half-sister to Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan winner Prince Kirk (Selkirk).
