MARK Zahra has spent the Melbourne Festival Of Racing carnival watching races from the couch, so he can’t count down the minutes quickly enough in the lead up to his return to riding on Super Saturday at Flemington.
Zahra suffered a small fracture to his tibia in a barrier accident at Sandown in mid-January, which sidelined him until last Wednesday.
The champion jockey rode a winner with his first ride bac,k which was Loud Charli,e but lamented he had missed riding several winners as horses such as Tentryis won the Black Caviar Lightning and Observer the Australian Guineas.
“There were a few of them that were winning, it’s been a tough place, my couch, the last few Saturdays!” Zahra said after his Caulfield win.
“It was good to have that motivation. I’ve been on him (Tentyris) during the week; he’s flying, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Zahra, who is chasing his first win in the Newmarket Handicap, described Tentryis as a beast to Racenet and he wasn’t concerned by his weight of 57 kilograms.
Zahra said he was a heavyweight jockey and tended to overlook weight as a key factor.
“All the weight and ratings gurus might think a bit different, I worked (Tentyris) Monday and he absolutely flew … he’s flying, I don’t think it (weight) will stop him,” he said.
14 horses have completed the Black Caviar Lightning and Newmarket Handicap double.
If the Anthony and Sam Freedman trained Tentryis can win the Newmarket Handicap, he will equal the record set by the legendary Ajax in 1938, who also carried 57 kilograms.
The last three-year-old to win the Black Caviar Lightning and the Newmarket Handicap double was Weekend Hussler in 2008.
Tentryis will be out to complete a unique treble of the Coolmore Stud Stakes, the Lightning Stakes and the Newmarket Handicap in succession.
Unibet has him as a $2.30 favourite. In the last 13 years, only one favourite has won the Newmarket Handicap, which was Jolliestar last year.
Zahra will also ride Buckaroo in the All-Star Mile and he’s also yet to win that race.
Zahra has had one ride on Buckaroo, which was in last year’s Cox Plate, where he finished second to Via Sistina.
Buckaroo resumed from a spell with an eye-catching second in the Futurity Stakes to Pericles.
Buckaroo is $8.50 with Unibet. Favourite is the front-running machine Pride Of Jenni at $4.20.
