The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable is hoping the Cox Plate can turn into a war of attrition and their lone starter Gold Trip will prove the best stayer.
Gold Trip is backing up into the Group 1 2040m showpiece at Moonee Valley on Saturday after finishing second to Durston in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) last Saturday.
Mahar and Eustace are chasing their second Cox Plate success having won the race in 2020 with Sir Dragonet.
Eustace said there was a number of factors why the stable had decided to start Gold Trip on the quick back-up.
“Firstly, the horse came through Caulfield very well,” Eustace said.
“He’s in great nick and we just feel the ground is going to be in his favour this weekend.
“We can’t guarantee what the ground will be like in the Melbourne Cup, that and the fact that it is away from handicap conditions means he’s not going to have to lump a big weight.
“He brings in a different form line as well. There’s a group of horses that are all obviously high-class, that have been racing against each other and have had hard runs.
“He goes there not having faced them and we just think he could measure up to them.”
Eustace said Gold Trip would have a fairly quiet week as the stable goes about freshening the stayer for 2040m after racing over 2400m on Saturday.
Already Gold Trip has made a trip to the beach from the Maher and Eustace Cranbourne stable and would again be heading there later in the week.
“That is a query, it’s not an easy thing to do to come back in trip,” Eustace said.
“But it’s going to be a pretty gruelling 2000 metres, you would think.
“We just felt it could set up like Sir Dragonet. They went very quick that day and there was cut in the ground, and he was the strongest stayer.”
