Written by TDN Europe
Cover image courtesy of Darren Tindale
Michel Monfort, the man responsible for breeding this year's G1 Melbourne Cup hero Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}), has described his graduate as “a warrior” after Gold Trip's emphatic victory in the 'race that stops the nation'.
Monfort bought Gold Trip's dam Sarvana (Fr), a daughter of Dubai Destination (USA), before mating her with G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Outstrip (GB), who now stands in Brazil having spent six seasons at Dalham Hall.
Michel Monfort | Image courtesy of Arqana
The resulting foal turned out to be Gold Trip, who made €60,000 (AU$105,000) at the Arqana August Sale from the Haras de Grandcamp draft to Gerard Larrieu.
Gold Trip won a Group 2 in his native France for Fabrice Chappet and changed hands to join the barn of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace in Australia after he finished third behind Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud last year.
But the undoubted highlight of Gold Trip's career came when he stormed to a 2l victory in Australia's most famous race and his breeder has backed him to be a continued success.
Monfort told Jour de Galop (JDG) on Tuesday morning; “He could have continued to have a very good career in Europe. He's quite a warrior. Gold Trip won beautifully this morning in Australia, particularly given the weight he was carrying. It augurs well for the future.”
Back in 2020, Monfort told JDG about his approach to buying Sarvana, recalling how he overlooked her obvious flaws.
“I bought Sarvana in almost a timid manner,” he said. “She wasn't very expensive, but she was from a good Aga Khan family. She was by a stallion who has proved to be a good broodmare sire. These were the criteria upon which I was concentrating during that time to buy a mare. I appreciated also that she had made it to the races, even though it was only one time.”
“I bought Sarvana (the dam of Gold Trip) in almost a timid manner. She wasn't very expensive, but she was from a good Aga Khan family. She was by a stallion who has proved to be a good broodmare sire.” - Michel Montfort
He added; “She proved that she had a good enough head on her and that she didn't have any hidden health problems. I envisioned the only start Sarvana had made and she wasn't at all defective. But the big outlets, if the horse didn't have a future in big races, didn't hesitate to turn the page.”
Sarvana was sold for €280,000 (AU$490,000) to David Redvers acting on behalf of Sheikh Fahad al Thani in the interim, but Monfort's interest in the family continues as he retained two fillies from the mare.
He added on Tuesday; “We have kept two fillies, of which Got Wind has earned black type at two and three. In general, I think if you use mares with solid families, you increase your chances to produce good horses.
Sarvana (Fr) when sold through the 2021 Arqana Breeding Sale | Image courtesy of Arqana
“I also try to have mares from good stallions or good broodmare sires. With a descendant of Mr Prospector like Sarvana, using stallions from the Danehill line was an interesting option.
“I believe very much in the outcross, like in the case of Gold Trip. The fact of carrying a different blood, that's one of the factors of the success of sons of Dubawi right now in Europe. You can also point to the purchase of Wootton Bassett by Coolmore.
“You can get a Grade 1 winner by Outstrip or by Hat Trick. I think there is still a place for passionate breeders, people looking for good crosses. Even if it is surely more and more difficult, and more and more expensive, to stay competitive. I also think that Outstrip is a horse who could have stayed in Europe. Without getting good mares, he still produced horses who pleased a lot of riders.”
The rocky road to Cup glory
Since arriving in Australia, things haven’t exactly gone to plan for Gold Trip and connections. The horse was aimed at last year’s Cox Plate, but never made it to that race after failing to satisfy Racing Victoria’s veterinary team that he had overcome a lameness issue a day out from the race.
Gold Trip (Fr) | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
This year’s autumn campaign followed a similar script. Gold Trip was being prepped up to make his Australian debut before succumbing to another issue, this time a foot abscess.
Australian Bloodstock's Jamie Lovett, who teamed with Ciaron Maher’s Bloodstock Executive Will Bourne to purchase the highly rated entire, praised the large ownership group for their patience.
“Obviously, it was very frustrating,” Lovett said. “Pressure’s not the right word. I felt a bit of anxiety for 12 months knowing that we knew we had a good horse, but unfortunately, due to the circumstances, we couldn’t get him to the races.
“Pressure’s not the right word. I felt a bit of anxiety for 12 months knowing that we knew we had a good horse (in Gold Trip), but unfortunately, due to the circumstances, we couldn’t get him to the races.” - Jamie Lovett
“But none of the owners ever questioned us. We’re lucky a lot of them have been involved in racing a long time, they understood it. It was certainly a long 12 months. They’ve had the thrill of a lifetime yesterday (Tuesday), but it was a long road to get there.”
Will Bourne added: “We were pulling our hair out thinking we’ve done our clients’ money. He was about $2.3 million landed in Australia. But they (the owners) were very fair and patient, they didn’t put too much pressure on us, and now here he is, a Melbourne Cup winner.”
