Gold Trip has won the 2022 Melbourne Cup, beating his more fancied rivals to win the Flemington feature by two lengths.
Gold Trip, ridden by Mark Zahra, was paying $21 with online bookmakers and is the longest-priced Melbourne Cup winner since Twilight Payment in 2020, which saluted at $27.20 on the Victorian tote.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained entire beat home Emissary ($7.50) and High Emocean ($10) under a masterful ride from Zahra.
Gold Trip had put the racing world on notice with a second-place in the Caulfield Cup, before running ninth in the Cox Plate the following week.
Race favourite Deauville Legend ($4.20) loomed on the straight, but failed to kick on and eventually finished fourth.
It was Zahra’s fifth ride in the Melbourne Cup and his first victory in the 3200m feature.
“(I was thinking) just piss off, no one come near me,” Zahra said moments after the race.
