Gold Trip, the triumphant winner of the 2022 Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), was among several Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained horses showcasing their prowess at Moonee Valley on Tuesday morning.
Speaking about Gold Trip's current form, Maher mentioned, “He's going to have a trial next Monday, and I'm pretty happy with him actually – he's pretty free in his action, his weight's good, and Mark (Zahra) has got a good affiliation with him.”
“I just asked Jamie (Kah) and him, Jamie was on Ashrun, just to give him a feel-good gallop, improve up to the line, and (Mark) said he felt his endeavor was really good and he really wanted to be there and let down, so he's coming up pretty well.”
Discussing future plans for Gold Trip, Maher indicated, “Queen Elizabeth (Stakes), yeah that 2000 metres, a bit of give in the track is probably ideal.”
Another stablemate, Ashrun, might be en route to the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) following a commendable fourth-place finish in the previous year's Melbourne Cup.
Maher expressed confidence in Ashrun, stating, “It was a super run in the Melbourne Cup – that little bit of give probably helps him as well – it's probably hard to predict the weather this year, but he's similar, we've kept him fairly active and his weight is really good, and his action was pretty good as well.”
Having tasted Group 1 success in the Turbull Stakes during the spring, Gold Trip is listed as a +1400 chance with top horse racing bookmakers to win the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).
Ashrun, on the back of his eye-catching Melbourne Cup run is marked as a +1400 chance to win the Sydney Cup.