Rekindling, Twilight Payment - and now Trustyourinstinct? JP McManus star enters Melbourne Cup picture after Curragh Cup win

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JP McManus could have another Melbourne Cup contender on his hands after Trustyourinstinct landed the Curragh Cup, a race his trainer Joseph O'Brien has used as a stepping stone to Flemington.

The owner's green and gold hoops featured in the Melbourne Cup for the first time last year when Goodie Two Shoes finished second. Now Trustyourinstinct could be tasked with emulating previous O'Brien-trained winners of the Curragh Cup, Rekindling and Twilight Payment, by doubling up at Flemington in November.

Trustyourinstinct had won four times and finished out of the first three just once in ten visits to the Curragh. So the big question mark for the six-year-old was the trip as he had never raced beyond a mile and a half in his 20-race Flat career.

Declan McDonogh rode a patient race, settling the 13-2 shot last of the six runners, and was travelling nicely approaching the furlong pole.

He still had the whole field to pass but once unleashed down the outside showed a striking change of gear to reel in Happy Pharoah, winning a shade cosily by three-quarters of a length, with the same distance back to his stablemate and 4-6 favourite Al Riffa.

It rounded off a special day for both trainer and owner as O'Brien secured a treble on the card, while McManus's beloved Limerick defeated Galway to claim the All-Ireland hurling crown at Croke Park.

"He always runs well here," said O'Brien. "Stepping up in trip today, I think the race set up pretty well for him. He's a good horse. We were pretty happy with the trip and I think Declan quietly fancied him. He's run great all year and particularly here. He's at his best here. He's a great servant." 

When asked if Trustyourinstinct could be bound for the Melbourne Cup, he said: "Potentially. It'll be an option for him for sure."

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