Mark Zahra riding Gold Trip wins the Melbourne Cup. Photo / Getty
Gold Trip has won the 2022 Melbourne Cup.
The 162nd running of the great race delivered plenty of drama as the miserable weather did its best to ruin the day for the 80,000 spectators that braved the stormy conditions.
But nothing could overshadow the $8 million, 3200m handicap classic.
The connections of six-year-old horse Gold Trip are celebrating a payday of more than $4 million.
Emissary finished second and High Emocean was third.
Favourite Deauville Legend was fourth, while highly fancied runner Realm of Flowers was fifth.
Gold Trip did it the hard way, taking the lead with more than 300m to run before Emissary looked to be making a challenge of it with 150m to go.
But the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained horse showed its class by finding one final effort at the finish line.
Winning jockey Mark Zahra said the final moments of the race were nerve-wracking.
“(I was thinking) just piss off, no one come near me,” he said.
“I can’t. I feel like crying. It’s unbelievable. What a day. He’s a horse that when you go, you don’t give him a chance to think about it.
“It’s just elation when I crossed the line. What an amazing feeling.”
He added: “The last 50m I was thinking I’m going to win this. It just went forever the last bit. And I still can’t believe it. Melbourne Cup, it’s unbelievable.”
Maher revealed post-race the plan perfectly executed by Zahra.
“We had a plan going out with Mark. He was very good on him in the Caulfield Cup,” he said. “We just wanted to wait, wait, wait and we know he got that good turn of foot. He was fantastic.”
Co-trainer Eustace was in disbelief over the win.
“I can’t believe it. Obviously a bit overcome. Yeah, it’s obviously a dream that we all want to achieve,” he said.
“It’s the pinnacle for our sport. To do it with Ciaron, I’m so grateful to be training with him. And it’s just a great honour to be doing that with all these good horses and an amazing team of staff that we have.
“It’s a full credit to them to get five here and to, this horse who was so unlucky in the Caulfield Cup and so gutted when he got beat. And I thought he would get beat again. It’s just quite incredible.”
Gold Trip’s run also created some incredible history.
It is the first time a horse has won the Melbourne Cup at a top weight of 57.5kg since Makybe Diva. The French horse is also the first horse in 99 years to win the Melbourne Cup with just one previous race win.
Camorra, Numerian and Serpentine failed to finish.
Earlier, the racing world was shocked when police were called after an activist was filmed dumping 1000 litres of “oily sludge” onto the track at Flemington. There was also some huge drama on the morning of the Cup with another fancied runner, Lunar Flare, being scratched by Racing Victoria’s vets.
From drowning sorrows to top of the racing world
One year after missing out on the ride on Verry Ellegant after being implicated in the Air BnB jockey controversy, Zahra claimed his first Melbourne Cup aboard Gold Trip.
Zahra revealed he was drinking to numb the pain of missing out on a Melbourne Cup when he was suspended for three months after attending a house party with four other jockeys during Victoria’s Covid lockdown.
“This time last year in Byron Bay and I was getting told off for drinking too much and it could have been my ride. Redemption day today. Just a miracle,” Zahra told Channel 10.
“12 months ago I felt terrible and probably drinking my way out of it and [my wife] was saying, ‘Don’t drink too much’. I said, ‘What do you want me to do? My horse just won the Melbourne Cup’.”
Zahra said he was confident Gold Trip could be a winner after a gallant performance in the recent Cox Plate.
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