Trainer John Gosden holds reservations about sending his gun stayer Stradivarius to Australia for the Melbourne Cup after the 4YO successfully defended his title in the G1 Goodwood Cup on Tuesday.

Stradivarius is now unbeaten in three starts this campaign after wins in the G2 Yorkshire Cup and G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot prior to his second successive win in the Goodwood Cup over two miles.

Gosden said Stradivarius will proceed to the G2 Lonsdale Cup at York in three weeks in a bid to win a 1 million bonus for his connections but beyond that his plans are uncertain with the stayer also holding an entry for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October.

Gosden questioned the weight Stradivarius would have to carry if he contested the $7 million Melbourne Cup in November.

"Do you go for the Melbourne Cup, carry top-weight and find yourself giving the guts of a stone to a three-year-old in November, which is tough, or do you go for the Arc which is a massively difficult task?

“In the Arc you need tactical speed, agility and luck, so I think we will get past York first before thinking about huge fences like that.

"The Lonsdale Cup is the next stop and we'll have to do everything we can to try and win it. We have three and a half weeks which should be all right.”

Ridden by Andrea Atzeni, standing in for suspended Frankie Dettori. Stradivarius wore down pace-setting Torcedor to win by half a length although he looked capable of extending that advantage.

Stradivarius now stands on the cusp of winning the inaugural WH Stayers' Million, a bonus put up by Weatherbys Hamilton Insurance and designed to encourage the breeding, buying and racing of staying horses.

He has on three of the required four legs, and needs to land York's G2 Lonsdale Cup next month to secure the payout.