Home-based Melbourne Cup runners are right back to the fore in recent days. Goldman has already won a barrier trial, now two more big hitters are about to be unleashed.
2022 Melbourne Cup hero Gold Trip is almost ready to rock ‘n roll once again. Meanwhile, Cup contender Interpretation looks set to head to Moonee Valley.
Gold Trip Heading Towards a Trial
With early preparations going well, Gold Trip is close to heading to a trial now. It seems the weather will have a say in where and when he makes his comeback.
David Eustace trains the horse alongside Ciaron Maher and he took Gold Trip along to The Valley. The horse was galloped on Tuesday morning in a chance to reunite him with successful Cup partner Mark Zahra.
After riding at the winter carnival in Brisbane, Zahra had been on holiday. Coming back and needing the exercise as much as his mount, Zahra took Gold Trip over 1000 metres.
According to the rider, he needs a couple more weeks himself before returning to race riding. As for Gold Trip, he is most likely to now head to Cranbourne next Monday for a trial.
David Eustace remarked on how Gold Trip had been entered into a Benchmark 100 event at The Valley over 2040 metres on Saturday. As it turns out, the team was never really serious about running him in that race with his racecourse gallop and trial sufficient for now.
By all accounts, Gold Trip’s work has improved as he gets older. The seven-year-old will need to reach new heights to win a second cup, but he remains on track.
Interpretation on the Right Road
Having been well fancied for the Melbourne Cup in 2022, Interpretation somewhat disappointed. Ciaron Maher and David Eustance, as well as the punters, were left underwhelmed with his performance last year.
Now, a new and improved Interpretation is set to make a reappearance in advance of the Spring Carnival.
Maher & Eustace’s plans to get Interpretation to last year’s Cup almost went awry. He was sent into the Bart Cummings at Flemington, but was only third behind Lunar Flare in October’s 2500-metre race. Another try came in the Geelong Cup, though he was only sixth that time behind Emissary.
He eventually got into the field, but he was clearly under the pump some 1400 metres from the line and was pulled up over 800m out.
Veterinary inspections after the Melbourne Cup revealed no abnormalities. No explanations for the run could be find, though one could infer that being thrown into another lead-up race 18 days after the Bart Cummings may have been a little too much.
All is well with Interpretation now and he has been gelded. He has been entered for a pair of Benchmark 100 races this Saturday over 2040 and 1600 metres. The latter is the more likely race.
