FANS of Mark Zahra elicited howls of laughter by donning bright red wigs after the top jockey scored his second win of the carnival.
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Zahra saluted aboard the Robert Smerdon-trained Warrior King in a three-year-old benchmark 78 handicap over 1400 metres with a well-timed run.
The colt ($4.60) came from third-last to overhaul Turfane ($8), which had taken all the shortcuts, and win by half-a-length. Theycallmethehoff ($101) was third.
“They torment him about being a red head and they decided to bring along their own props for the week,” Smerdon said of Zahra fans. “It’s all a bit of good fun, it’s what Warrnambool is about.”
Smerdon said he was trying not to get too excited about what Warrior King, unbeaten in two starts, could achieve. He noted how rare it was for three-year-olds to score a second victory after breaking their maiden status — “one in 25”.
The race carried $100,000 in VOBIS, Super VOBIS and Inglis Race Series bonuses. Warrior King was eligible for the first two, earning connections $50,000.