Zahra sizes up Al Riffa ahead of Melbourne Cup

Melbourne Cup favourite Al Riffa has wasted no time impressing leading jockey Mark Zahra, who partnered the Joseph O’Brien-trained stayer for the first time in a piece of work at Werribee on Wednesday morning.

Al Riffa, who will carry 59kg as topweight in Tuesday’s Cup, struck Zahra as a horse well equipped to handle the impost.

“Lovely big horse, nice and quiet, did his work and gave me no trouble at all. Very happy,” Zahra told reporters.

The Australian Bloodstock acquisition has opened the door for Zahra to again link with the syndicator after Gold Trip’s Cup triumph in 2022.

“The lads were saying this is probably the best horse Joseph has ever brought out here, and given he’s had a couple of winners, that’s a pretty good wrap,” Zahra said.

“He can definitely do it. He’s a big, strong horse, so 59 kilos is no problem,” he said. “No worries at all with him carrying that sort of weight.”

While Zahra stopped short of direct comparisons with Gold Trip, he suggested Al Riffa could be cut from the same cloth.

“I haven’t ridden him in a race yet, so it’s hard to compare, but he’s a bit bigger, a bit stronger and I think he’s got all the class Gold Trip had, for sure.”