Gold Trip has brushed aside an international challenge to win the Melbourne Cup, giving one of Australia's biggest stables a breakthrough in the race.
One of five runners for co-trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Gold Trip defeated Emissary and stablemate High Emocean.
Gold Trip was given a perfect ride by Mark Zahra, who also celebrated his first win in the race.
Newcastle's Tony Price, who steered Wests to a hat-trick of Newcastle rugby league grand final wins in the late 1990s, has been involved in thoroughbred racing as an owner or breeder for three decades but had his his first Melbourne Cup runner on Tuesday with Gold Trip.
Price and another former Newcastle rugby league player, Todd Buckingham, are among the owners of the import syndicated by Hunter team, Australian Bloodstock, who claimed the 2014 Cup with Protectionist.
Australian Bloodstock director Jamie Lovett said it was a case of "wetter the better" for Gold Trip and it proved to be true with the horse's impressive run taking out the coveted $8 million Melbourne Cup race.
- With Australian Associated Press
