Melbourne and Caulfield Cup winning jockey Mark Zahra has avoided the worst-case scenario after fracturing his tibia in a barrier mishap last Thursday.

The hoop has avoided surgery on his fractured leg after meeting with a specialist on Wednesday morning.

Zahra will head straight to rehab and is aiming to return around the end of February or start of March.

Listen to how Mark Zahra fractured his leg on an unraced three-year-old filly below: