Trip To Paris (left) got a dream run through on the rail

  PICTURE: Martin Lynch (racingpost.com/photos)  

Owners in dreamland after Trip To Paris win

Report: Royal Ascot, Thursday

Gold Cup (Group 1) 2m4f, 4yo+

THE £35,000 gamble paid off. The La Grange Partnership stumped up the supplementary fee and walked away with the biggest trophy of the entire meeting as Trip To Paris landed the royal meeting's highlight event - the Gold Cup.

Jockey Graham Lee was trapped wide early but once he was able to switch his mount to the rail he enjoyed a dream run, with a gap opening up in front of him at the perfect moment in the straight.

A dream run
Lee seized the opportunity provided by the 'Red Sea moment' and shoved and kicked his mount all the way to the line to ride his first winner at the royal meeting in British Flat racing's longest Group 1 to his Grand National success in jumps racing's own marathon test.

"He gave me a great ride. When I got on him in the parade ring he was so switched off and relaxed, he raced that way and conserved his energy. He picked up great and deserved it."

While the 12-1 chance enjoyed all the luck in running things did not work out so well for Ryan Moore on the 5-1 second favourite Kingfisher. Trapped behind a wall of horses, as he was 40 minutes earlier on Curvy, this time Moore was unable to force his way out and was had to sit and suffer, eventually collaring the 5-2 favourite Forgotten Rules close home.

A unique staying double
The Grand National/Gold Cup double has tended to feature the Cheltenham incarnation, but for Lee, who won the National on Amberleigh House in 2004 this was a massive achievement as he became the first jockey to win at both Aintree and Ascot.

Graham Lee: the first jockey to do the Grand National/Gold Cup double

  PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)  

Asked to compare the two, Lee said: "Jeez, that's an awful question to ask. I've had a great day at the office today and I'm delighted for the sporting connections for that gesture in supplementing him to the race."

Taking the gamble
The owners would have got a greater return for their investment had they backed the 12-1 shot, but the £229,854.15 first-place prize-money will surely be of secondary importance to the sheer thrill of owning an Ascot Gold Cup winner.

Dunlop credited the partnership with the decision. He said: "Credit goes to the partners [in the horse] as they bullied me into supplementing him. He ran in the King George Handicap at the meeting last year with blinkers on, but he has been gelded since and it has been the making of him."

Family tradition
For Dunlop too it was a first as he followed in his father's footsteps some 41 years later and lifted the trophy. "Amazing," he said. "My parents had the Gold Cup on the dining room table at home, it was Ragstone in 1974, so this is simply amazing."

Trip To Paris: could now go to the Melbourne Cup

  PICTURE: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)  

Trip to Melbourne?
Having started his season finishing fourth in the Rosebery over 1m3f at Kempton off a mark of 88, Trip To Paris registered his fourth win of the year, adding Britain's greatest staying races to his victories in the Chester Cup and Lingfield and Ripon handicaps.

It could be back to handicap company now with the Melbourne Cup under consideration. Dunlop said: "He's probably badly handicapped now, but yeah, he can quicken and goes on any ground so the race has to be considered."

Dunlop has finished second in the Melbourne Cup three times with Red Cadeaux.