ASCOT // When Ed Dunlop was growing up, the Ascot Gold Cup took pride of place in the centre of his parents dining room table.
Since his father, John, won the feature race at Royal Ascot with Ragstone in 1974, the shape of the trophy has changed, but winning it with Trip To Paris still tasted just as sweet Thursday.
Trip To Paris came with a surging run up the far side rail under Graham Lee to hold off Kingfisher and favourite Forgotten Rules.
“To win it is a dream come true,” Dunlop said. “It’s one of my greatest days as a trainer.
“I was always brought up by my parents to regard the Gold Cup as a highlight of the meeting.”
To a certain extent Dunlop’s jubilation stemmed from the fact that he is one of seven owners of the four-year-old gelding. He bought Trip To Paris for just £20,000 (Dh116,520) in 2013, and since then Trip To Paris has done nothing but improve.
This season he has won four races from six starts, including a Chester Cup, and more than rewarded the decision by the syndicate known as La Grange Partnership to spend £35,000 to supplement their charge.
There was also a sense of relief from Dunlop, as this was just his 10th winner of the season from over 100 runners. On Wednesday, he had to watch as Amazing Maria, a horse he nursed through problems, won the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes having been transferred to David O’Meara.
“A trainer never likes to see that,” Dunlop said. “It has been a difficult season for my staff and all credit to them. Winning this turns it all around.
“My three year olds are pretty moderate but this horse has been like a flag-bearer and having a winner here is like having 20 winners elsewhere.” Dunlop is well known to those in Dubai due to the exploits of dual World Cup runner Red Cadeaux, who has been pencilled in for a remarkable fifth trip to Australia for the Melbourne Cup in November.
Trip To Paris is likely to head to Goodwood next month for the Cup race there, but a flight to Flemington is a very serious aim for the Newmarket trainer.
“Steve Nicholson, the lad who leads him up also looks after Red Cadeaux,” he said. “Until today he said Trip To Paris is not coming on the same plane, but we’ll see.
“We can dream he can go to Melbourne and he can go lots of places.” If Trip To Paris has a turn of foot, he also has the ability to turn off.
Lee had no problem holding up his mount at the rear of the field off what was a sedate pace set by Frankie Dettori on Forever Now.
Forgotten Rules was placed in third by Pat Smullen behind Vent De Force, while Havana Beat was in fourth off the rail.
Dubai Gold Cup runner Bathyrhon was in fifth on the outside under Maxime Guyon, while Ryan Moore had Kingfisher well placed in the middle of the pack.
Not much changed for the first 2,000 metres, but Dettori wound up the pace from there and the field packed up behind him still full of running.
With 800m to go Dettori was beginning to coax along his mount and in the straight Lee tried to go through a gap between Havana Beat and Vent De Force, before he switched for his dream run up the rail.
Lee used to be a National Hunt jockey but three years ago, at the age of 36, he changed codes for good. Lee won the Grand National in 2004 and he ducked to compare the feeling of winning it to one of the Flat’s most demanding tests.
“That’s an awful question,” Lee said. “I’ve had a great day at the office. It’s lovely to ride a winner here.”
Lee’s first Royal Ascot winner was put in the shade somewhat as Moore continued his assault on the record books.
Moore rode a treble on Waterloo Bridge, in the Norfolk Stakes, Curvy, in the Ribblesdale Stakes, and War Envoy in the Britannia Stakes. It took his tally to eight for the week, and he came alongside greats Pat Eddery (1989) and Lester Piggott (1965, 1975) with two days to go.
“I’m taking it each race at a time,” Moore said. “In racing things go wrong all the time so I’m just chipping away at it.
“Let’s not talk about records.”
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