Melbourne Cup hero Mark Zahra resurfaces after drinking for 24 hours straight in wild celebrations

MELBOURNE CUP hero Mark Zahra resurfaced from his wild celebrations looking a little worse for wear – and rightly so.

The awesome Australian jockey is a famed party animal and deserved to let his hair down after winning ‘the race that stops a nation’ for the second straight year.

Zahra had absolutely no problem seeing off a load of Champagne

His victory on 7-1 Without A Fight was the stuff of dreams as the pair surged clear uncontested in the final furlong.

And, judging by social media, it wasn’t long after that the boozing commenced.

One video showed Zahra pouring Champagne into trophies with the caption: “No point having the cups if you don’t have the Champagne to fill it with.”

Although, surprisingly, he said Frankie Dettori was the one celebrating like he’d won the thing.

The world’s most famous jockey didn’t even have a ride in the Melbourne Cup but is in Australia ahead of a rumoured appearance on I’m a Celeb.

Zahra let slip it was Dettori – who was seen wearing sunglasses for ‘medical reasons’ – doing the most partying in one of his many bleary-eyed TV interviews.

He said: “Racing is brutal for the majority of the year.

“It’s all fun and games when you win a Melbourne Cup and you drink Champagne for 24 hours, but the rest of the year it’s pretty hard.

“It makes moments like this so much sweeter.

“A good friend of mine, Frankie Dettori, he’s in town and he was actually celebrating like he won the cup more than I did.

“But it was good to have some good friends and drink some good Champagne.

“I haven’t been to bed since the win but I’m still going and, yeah, I’m feeling all right.”

It turned out to be a day to remember for one punter in particular as well.

A homeless man in New Zealand included Without A Fight in his bet – and won enough to put down a house deposit.

The man, known only as Robert, stuck $5(£3) on the first four finishers in the race and couldn’t believe it when they all came in.

He was more than £50,000 better off at the end, thanks in no small part to Sheraz, who came third at 150-1.

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