Racing
Party Crasher wins MA Services Grand Handicap: Post Race Trainer and Jockey Quotes
Trainer and jockey quotes following the MA Services Grand Handicap won by Party Crasher at Flemington on Tuesday.
Race Result:1st Party Crasher (M Hickmott/M Zahra) - $4.802nd: Pittsburgh Pirate (H Dwyer/N Farley) - $26
3rd: Ghetto Superstar (M Shepherdson/M Dee) - $11
Winning Time: 2:04.36 Last 600m: N/A
Margins: Long Head x 3/4 lengths
Picking up where he left off
Mark Zahra claims his fifth win of the 2025 #MelbCupCarnival aboard PARTY CRASHER.
@wwos | #MelbourneCup | #MelbCupCarnival pic.twitter.com/ndJCtuGWiR
— Victoria Racing Club (@FlemingtonVRC) November 4, 2025
Winning Trainer: Micahel Hickmott
"He's a really nice horse, this. He was second favourite for the Queensland Derby and got scratched behind the gates.
"It was a little bit of a tricky circumstance coming here second-up over 2000m. He's done a very good job. Huge credit to my entire team because he missed a run last Saturday - they called the meeting off.
"Big shout out to the Murray Bridge Racing Club for letting me get out on the course proper this week where I gave him a really searching gallop.
"I'm really happy with him. Just had to think outside the box a little bit this week and do a few things.
"He's a horse that I'm probably going to set aside for the Adelaide Carnival so he'll probably have a break now.
"Hantastic having a winner on Melbourne Cup Day with John O'Neill's colours. He's one of my stable's biggest clients and he's more like family to me.
"He's a progressive horse and we found him out of a trial in New Zealand and syndicated into a good crew of clients.
"It was such a disappointing experience for him to go to Queensland two weeks in a row and have the meeting called off and then get scratched when he was second favourite for the Derby.
"We had to rely on a lot of the data we've got on the horse, and back in the work we do with him on the heavy sand, and back his natural ability to stay."
"It was a big effort today though, second up at 2000, especially with that little bit of juice in the track. He'll know he's done it, but we'll put him away now and set him for the Adelaide Cup."
"It's always good having winners on Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington, and even better in these colours."
Winning Jockey: Mark Zahra
Style of horse: "He's a deceptive horse. You get on him, he's a bit of a skinny runt of a horse, but it just worked out nicely. He (Michael) said, just have a soft run. He's second up 2,000 (metres) and good speed early, I was able to slide in midway back."
"The further I went, the more he took me and gave me a good kick. He's up for the fight, and that horse sort of joined him on the inside. He put the ears back and grit it out and held him to the line."
3200m of an Adelaide Cup?: "I think so. He probably knows his horse better than I do. But to do that, what he did second up 2,000 is a good sign that he can get further and improve a lot for sure."
