The Trip of a lifetime

When Gold Trip stormed home in the 2022 Melbourne Cup under Mark Zahra, carrying 57.5kg, the French-bred horse became the first since Makybe Diva in 2005 to win the Cup under top weight, and the first in 99 years to claim the race with only one previous win to his name.

For Lovett, that record didn’t tell the whole story. “He’d had 12 starts and only one win, but he raced at a high level his whole career,” he said. The Turnbull Stakes triumph showed his quality.

“The win in the Turnbull is as good a win as you’ll ever see. [I thought] he’s a proper horse.”

This second Melbourne Cup for Australian Bloodstock, following Protectionist’s 2014 victory, validated their long-term strategy of sourcing top stayers from Europe.