Can Gold Trip win the 2023 Melbourne Cup?

Gold Trip ridden by Mark Zahra wins 2022 Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse.

The Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Gold Trip looks to do something that only four horses have ever done and that is to go back-to-back in the Melbourne Cup.

Gold trip looks to be making the same patterns as his winning year last year after having finished third in the Caulfield Cup two starts back, the seven-year-old simply had no luck in the Cox Plate last time out when finishing fifth of 12.

He needs to carry the topweight of 58.5kg in the Cup and despite having just three wins (2 x Group 1, 1 x Group 2) to his name so far in his career, Gold Trip is deemed to be a big chance heading into the race that stops the nation as one of the bookmaker favourties.

When will Gold Trip run in the Melbourne Cup?

The Melbourne Cup will be run on the first Tuesday in November at Flemington in front of a sold out crowd.

The one thing that hasn’t changed about the 2023 Melbourne Cup is the horses.

Once again The Cup has brought together an elite field of Melbourne Cup horses to contest the two mile race for $8.41 million.

Gold Trip (2)

T: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace

J: James McDonald (58.5kg)

Age: 7YO
Color: Bay
Sex: Horse
Sire: Outstrip (GB)
Dam: Sarvana (USA)

Win: +360

Place: +100

Best odds at PendleburyBet

Career stats for Gold Trip

Career: 24: 3-5-5
Flemington: 3: 2-0-0
Distance: 2: 1-0-0
Good: 9: 1-1-2
Wet: 15: 2-4-3
Group 1: 15: 2-2-3
Win %: 13%
Place %: 54%

Melbourne Cup results for Gold Trip

Year	Placing	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds	Margin
2022	1/22	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Mark Zahra	13	57.5kg	$21	–

Recent Form for Gold Trip

Date	Race	Track	Distance	Placing	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds	Margin
Oct 28	Cox Plate	Moonee Valley	2040m	5/12	Mark Zahra	8	59kg	$7.50	1.4L
Oct 21	Caulfield Cup	Caulfield	2400m	3/18	Ben Melham	11	58.5kg	$6.50	2.2L
Oct 7	Turnbull Stakes	Flemington	2000m	1/16	Mark Zahra	16	58kg	$19	–
Sep 9	BM100	Moonee Valley	2040m	4/14	Mark Zahra	12	62kg	$10	1.1L

Can Gold Trip win the 2023 Melbourne Cup?

The reigning Melbourne Cup champion is deserving of being allotted the 57.5kg based on how easily he disposed of his rivals in last year’s race. This doesn’t look to be as difficult a race as last years, but he will not be getting the conditions that suited him perfectly 12 months ago. In nine starts on Good tracks, he has just one win and three minors to his to his name, but that sole victory did come three runs back when making a mess of his rivals in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m). His run in the Cox Plate (2040m) was a perfect Melbourne Cup trial when finishing on the heels of the the first four, beaten 1.4 lengths. Gold Trip is obviously proven at the trip and with James McDonald on board, will be there or thereabouts when the whips are cracking. The 58.5kg shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but the firm deck has us worried about his winning chances. We’re leaving Gold Trip out of our top four, at our own peril.