Victory for either Vauban or Absurde in the Lexus Melbourne Cup would rank alongside the highlights of Willie Mullins’ career, according to the multiple Irish National Hunt champion trainer.
There is barely a prize in jumps racing that Mullins has not won, with the County Carlow handler counting three Cheltenham Gold Cups, four Champion Hurdles and two Champion Chases among his 94 Festival winners, plus the Grand National and any amount of the jewels of the Irish season.
However, Mullins believes a win the Flemington Group One on November 7 would match any of those achievements.
He said: “Looking at the profile of our yard, I don’t think we’re going to win a Breeders’ Cup, the chance of winning an Arc is going to be tough, so to us, the type of horse we have, it would probably be the biggest race in the world we could win.”
The Closutton handler acknowledged the historic nature of such a win, with County Carlow native George Watson among the 25 founding members of the Victoria Racing Club and the starter for the inaugural Melbourne Cup in 1861.
Mullins explained: “The guy who started it all was only two miles over the road, George Watson. He left here in 1840-something with a pack of hounds, started the Melbourne Hunt, that in turn founded the racecourse and in turn started the Melbourne Cup.
“He was the starter for 30 years, he was on the board that started Flemington and the Melbourne Cup, so it would be sort of rounding off the circle if we could bring it back to Carlow.”
Mullins is no stranger to Flemington, having first sent Holy Orders to finish a distant 17th behind Makybe Diva back in 2003.
He has hit the crossbar since with Max Dynamite finishing a half-length second in 2015 before returning two years later to take third, but he ranks ante-post favourite Vauban and Ebor victor Absurde as his best chances yet.
He said: “We’re very happy with Vauban and Absurde, both seem very well in Australia and David (Casey, assistant trainer) is very happy with the two of them.
“Both horses will handle any ground I think down there – probably softer ground would suit us better than a lot of the Australian or foreign horses. The weather down there, there’s a lot 30-degree days but it changes all the time. It’s not an issue I think with either of our horses, they could both go on fast ground.”
Vauban is a three-time Grade One winner over hurdles and made an immediate impact on the level when strolling home by seven lengths from Absurde in the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot before a cosy Group Three win in the Ballyroan Stakes.
Absurde benefitted from an inspired Frankie Dettori ride to win the Ebor, but the Italian will not be in the plate again as even before he was given a 16-day ban that starts on November 7 for whip offences on Champions Day, he would not have been able to make Absurde’s weight of 8st 5lb.
Top Hong Kong jockey and old ally Zac Purton will instead take the ride as Absurde looks to make up the Ascot deficit with his yard’s number one hope.
Mullins said: “Zac Purton rides Absurde. He was third on Max Dynamite so I know Zac from before and he gave Max Dynamite a fantastic ride that day, so we were very happy when he became available. He can do the weight easily – Absurde has a light weight and it’s very hard to get top-class jockeys at that weight.
“I know their form ties in at Royal Ascot, Frankie gave him a good ride to get him settled and introduce him at the end but the race was over by the time he got going.
“You’d be hoping the Melbourne Cup would be a different pace and Zac can get Absurde settled. However, looking back on the Ebor, Frankie came up the wide outside from a wide draw which helped him to settle hugely.
“It might be harder for Zac to do something like that, although the straight in Melbourne is long enough from the two-mile start. We will have to see where we are drawn and what have you.”
