Vauban team optimistic ahead of his Melbourne Cup tilt

PA Sport Reporters
November 6, 2023 7:57 am

Willie Mullins also fields Absurde in ‘strongest chance ever’ in Flemington prize.

Connections of Vauban are harbouring high hopes as he faces his moment of destiny in Tuesday’s Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington.

The Willie Mullins-trained five-year-old heads the market for the Group One handicap after making a seamless switch to the Flat following three wins at the highest level over hurdles.

A seven-and-a-half-length winner of the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot, Vauban then struck Group Three gold in the Ballyroan Stakes on his prep run, leaving big-race rider Ryan Moore confident his mount has plenty in his favour in the 24-runner race.

The jockey told Betfair: “You’d be happy enough with his draw in three, but there are pros and cons to being housed in any stall, so let’s focus on what we know. And that is that Vauban looks to hold excellent credentials, second to none, though maybe connections of Gold Trip and Without A Fight, and others, may disagree.

Vauban won the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2022 (Mike Egerton/PA)

“Whether or not he deserves to be so short in the betting in a 24-runner handicap in which luck in running can be a big factor, I’ll let others decide. I only ride them.

“But you’d rather be on a 5-2 favourite than a 50-1 outsider and this 160-rated Grade One-winning hurdler was pretty awesome for me when winning the Copper Horse at Royal Ascot from his stablemate and subsequent Ebor winner Absurde, who also runs here, and he set himself up nicely for this when winning his Group Three at Naas, a race in which I actually rode the third, Peking Opera.

“Obviously, the Ascot win came off a mark of just 101 and this is a far deeper handicap and sterner test for him, but it seems like they are delighted with the way he has travelled and has settled in and here is hoping he can give me my first winner of this race since Protectionist in 2014. My only win in the race, in fact.”

Mullins is equally upbeat, rating Vauban and Absurde as his best Melbourne team yet, having saddled Max Dynamite to finish second in the race in 2015 and third two years later.

Absurde (left) won the Ebor at York (Mike Egerton/PA)

He told www.racing.com: “I think he’s (Vauban) as good as Max Dynamite and maybe better, we’ll find out that on Tuesday.

“It’s our strongest chance ever, it probably will be my strongest chance ever.

“We wouldn’t want to forget Absurde either, he did it very well with Frankie (Dettori) in the Ebor, Frankie gave him a terrific ride there.

“He has quarantined very well, and I think he’s in great shape.”

Serpentine was a shock Derby winner in 2020 (Bill Selwyn/PA)

There are no British-trained runners this year, with Joseph O’Brien’s Okita Soushi the only other European contender, but there are plenty of familiar names in the line up with last year’s winner Gold Trip going again for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, while Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott run 2020 Derby hero Serpentine and Chris Waller has last year’s Irish Oaks victor Magical Lagoon.

The Maher and Eustace team field five, with Hollie Doyle getting the leg up on former French runner Future History for the training duo.

Michelle Payne is the only woman to have ridden a Melbourne Cup winner having steered home Prince Of Penzance in 2015 and Doyle would love to add her name to the roll of honour on her first attempt.

She said: “I’m really excited to be coming to Melbourne and having a ride in the Cup on such a horse with a live chance as in Future History – it’s great for connections to have put me up.

“Obviously, with only 50kg, anything can happen in the Cup and, obviously, you need a lot of luck!

“I’ve spoken a little bit to Peter Trainor (owner), but I’ve been keeping myself up-to-date and following Future History and took an in-depth look into his career so far to get to know him.

Hollie Doyle has her first Melbourne Cup ride on Future History (Tim Goode/PA)

“I think he’s got a great chance – he’ll obviously have to take a step forward again, but he seems to have been taking the right steps recently.

“He’s a Bart Cummings winner around Flemington, which is a plus – he’s got that experience on the track.

“He needs to prove he can stay the two miles, which I think he should do. His run in the (Moonee Valley) Gold Cup last week was very solid, around a track that’s probably quite sharp for him, and from a bad draw.”

Caulfield Cup winner Without A Fight, ex-William Haggas runner Soulcombe and Japanese contender Breakup are others to the fore in the betting.