Gold Trip rocketed up Cox Plate markets after his jaw-dropping Turnbull Stakes win, but Saturday week’s Caulfield Cup remains the favoured next option for the imported entire.
David Eustace on Monday morning said he and co-trainer Ciaron Maher on Sunday spoke with owners Australian Bloodstock, who remain interested in the 2400-metre Group 1 handicap, in which Gold Trip ran second last year before winning the Melbourne Cup.
“We had a chat, Ciaron and I, with the owners and it’s not set in stone, but the Caulfield Cup is very much still on the agenda,” Eustace said.
Gold Trip ran a luckless ninth in last year’s Cox Plate, between Cups assignments, and Eustace said if he did run in the Caulfield Cup it did not automatically mean he would not run in the Cox Plate (2040m).
“It’s not necessarily a case of does he need to, but he’s tough and sound and capable of doing it,” Eustace told RSN927 in relation to running in all three majors.
“He’s a colt who’s fairly relaxed and we do have to keep the work up to him.
“Do we think we could skip the Caulfield Cup, go to the Cox Plate and have him right for the Melbourne Cup? Yes we do.
“Do we think he could do all three, or not run in a Cox Plate? As Ciaron said to me yesterday, there’s no right or wrong answer and each plan has its merits as well.”
Gold Trip carried 57.5kg in both Cups last year with the son of Outstrip to carry 58.5kg in this year’s event.
A new jockey will be required for Gold Trip if he does run in the Caulfield Cup 2023 with Gold Trip’s regular rider Mark Zahra on Sunday affirming his commitment to Without A Fight for the $5 million event on October 21.
