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Speaker 3Mark Zara joins us now because the 49ers take on the LA Rams. He has become like the face of the NFL really. Yes, he's a gun for hire. Yeah, he's everywhere and he joins us now. G'day Mark. Thanks for joining us and giddy up.
Speaker 4Yeah, morning Gareth.
Speaker 3Now Mark's going, all right? He's going to the NFL. If he had a hundred, if he had a hundred dollars, how would he spend it? I'm having a pun on the 49ers and Rams today.
Speaker 4Okay. Well, I think the Rams are morals. So you're going to go Rams to win.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 4And then a four legs. I reckon you do a little four legger to keep you excited for the day. You take Rams to win. You take Stafford over one and a half touchdowns. Yeah. Akuna Kua, 70 yards receiving. And McCaffrey, four receptions. I'll have to dump the ball off because the Rams there will be all up in Purdy's face. So he's going to have to do a little short dump off. So that's my multi, mate. Four bucks for you, Mark. 400. Beautiful. You go straight to the pub after it and spend it on beer. Yes.
Speaker 3Yes. Sounds good. So what about the Rams? Because you're a man that we can ask and you're probably one of the best people to ask regarding their travel schedule with all the travel that you do overseas. Yeah. Are you not worried about the Rams just rocking up there in the last 24 hours and then turning up at the Gene trying to get the job done?
Speaker 4No, I think it's no worries at all. I think they've both done it right. It's either one or the other. You either do a week out so you can get acclimatized or you come a day before. A lot of jockeys, including myself, I've flown into Hong Kong. You ride here on a Saturday and then you sleep on the flight over and you go and ride. Adrenaline takes you a long way. And they're on American time. So that's a good thing. It'll be up and about. It's fine. I think if you go like three days and you're not sleeping, then you're in trouble. But you only need a few hours overnight and you're good to go this morning.
Speaker 3Let's be honest. When you go on holidays, you probably don't sleep for three days anyway when you arrive. You're that excited.
Speaker 4Well, when I go to ride somewhere, I'm too scared to get there too early because there's too much danger. So I like to get there just before. So I can ride straight away.
Speaker 3Do you go to sleep when you get to Hong Kong or not?
Speaker 4No, because you get there and I have to jump in the bath and have a sweat. You feel like this. I mean, the Rams will feel it tomorrow or the day after you get stuffed, but there's nothing to prepare for. So you can have to go to sleep for a couple of days.
Speaker 3Now, everyone knows Mark Hunter's like your coach in a way. So how many winners do you expect your athlete to have tomorrow, Mark? What would be a pass mark for him?
Speaker 5Probably one.
Speaker 3Okay.
Speaker 5One. He's got some handy rides, but I would say he would be hoping that Mbube can get the job done as his priority.
Speaker 3How good is Mbube? Because we had a chat to Lloyd Kennewill. He tells me that you go out to track work to ride him. So he must be pretty good.
Speaker 4Yeah, they get me out there some days to punch him around. Yeah, no, I like him. He's been a horse. I've had a bit to do with him since the start. I've always had a big opinion of him. Look, there's no place to hide this time of year. He's on a cool more path. So that's what we think of him. And if he's going to win a cool more, he's probably going to win tomorrow. And I expect him to be very hard to beat.
Speaker 3Yeah. And Space Rider, he's unbeaten first up. Can he remain unbeaten?
Speaker 4Yeah. I've trialled him without blinkers on sort of heavy ground. So it hasn't been the best guide. But I think when the blinkers go on and he's first up form is great. So I think he's been up to straight. But he might be a little bit over the odds, that horse.
Speaker 3Yeah. Cafe Millennium, J.D. Hayes gave us a good push yesterday.
Speaker 4Yeah, he's drawn wide. But I'm actually happy to get on him. So I think he'll be back. If the speed's on, he's a chance to run on into the money for sure.
Speaker 3And then Autumn Boy and the Maccabi Diva.
Speaker 4He's got a great place chance. I reckon he's a great place chance. It's a cracking race. But he's drawn well. I think it didn't really, you know, I was in that race on Tom Kitten. And our sources back in the field, especially the ones that went on the outside, were getting bashed up. And we never got a nice flow into the race. I reckon the ones up the front were, apart from the winner, I reckon the second and third were a little bit flattering. They had an uninterrupted run. So I expect, I reckon he can turn the table on, you know, Treasure at the moment and Mr. Brightside to run a whole lot. A hole for sure.
Speaker 3What kind of race will it be tomorrow in the Maccabi Diva? What kind of tempo are you thinking?
Speaker 4Well, it doesn't look like there'll be much tempo. I think, you know, if Mr. Brightside leads, we know how fast they're going. But one thing in my final list, I've drawn well. So I can, if they go slow, I can be not, not too far away. But yeah, it doesn't look any obvious speed on paper.
Speaker 3Surely Willow won't let Blake Shing get away with what he got away with last year with Sir Delius, will he?
Speaker 4You wouldn't think so. I don't think he's going to get away with that. I think he's going to get away with that. I don't think so. But you know, he's, he's first up Sir Delius after a long time off. So you wouldn't think he'd want to hammer him either. But Gay's horse is always ready to go, I suppose.
Speaker 3Yeah. They're tricky races, these type of, like it is a group one, but it's a, it's the start of a campaign for many of these horses in a way as well. You don't really want to give your horse a gut bust ahead of some bigger goals later on in their campaign.
Speaker 4Yeah. Well, you've seen it with Bear Work. If you've got a horse that can run over a short trip and it's up and going and race on speed, like there's some, there's some I wouldn't say easy pickings, but there's some definitely several races like early on in the spring for sure.
Speaker 3How many, um, how many cashies today, Mark?
Speaker 4Uh, look, I'm just ducking over to, uh, Fireball SEM Friends now at the Higgins and Pullman. So I'll get that done. And then, no, I don't want to be annoyed. I want to settle and enjoy the game.
Speaker 3Yeah. Who do you follow in the NFL?
Speaker 4Uh, I'm a Vikings man. Okay. Yeah. I did a photo shoot during the week. I had to wear a, uh, a, um, four wheeler. 49 is top, but my missus is, she, she's Ram. So I went to put it on this morning. She said absolutely no. She threw a Rams hat and scarf on me. So that's where I'm at. And I'm going to, I'm going to back them. So that'll, that'll help me cheer for them.
Speaker 3Yeah. It's massive, isn't it? A hundred thousand at the G. It's going to be some, some morning really.
Speaker 4Oh, it's huge. It's even got a little bit of Superbowl vibe about it. You know, like I'm just, I'm driving down near the G now and there's all people out with their tops on and that. It's just, what an amazing event.
Speaker 3Favorite Superbowl that you've been to?
Speaker 4Um, I reckon it'll have to be the Vegas one. We went overtime and, um, and the chiefs one. That was just great. I mean, in the city, it's always great being in Vegas and being there for a Superbowl and then get to, and then to get a game like that was, uh, yeah, that was, that was my favorite for sure.
Speaker 3I can't believe Shaq Fahad has it rocked up.
Speaker 4No, he doesn't like coming to Australia that much. He reckons they're a fair way behind the Americans.
Speaker 3Well, we appreciate you coming on, mate. Um, good luck today and good luck tomorrow. And, um, yeah, we'll get you on more often. We'll have to get you a regular spot. I probably haven't got the budget as what Fireball has, but we'll see what we can do.
Speaker 4Yeah. You'll have to talk to my new, uh, my new social manager there, mate.
Speaker 3Thanks mate. There's Mark Sara there. Um, geez, he's, um, he's got some nice rides
Speaker 5there tomorrow. He has, he has. Yeah, he has for sure. If Mbube springboards out of that, you know, who knows where the sky, the sky's the limit.
Speaker 3You're going to take that multi? $4? We'll put that up on our social media platforms.
Speaker 5I'll take it. I won't know who I'm looking at. I won't know what I'm cheering about. Have you ever watched the NFL before? I've been to a couple of games.
Speaker 3Yeah. You like it?
Speaker 5I can take or leave it.
Speaker 3Yeah. All right then. But you're taking it today when you, when you get a ticket in the box. Correct. We're going to take a break, then we'll come back and we'll preview, of course, this meeting at Flemington.
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