Irish horse racing trainer Willie Mullins’ pursuit of victory in the Melbourne Cup has ended in disappointment after pre-race favourite Vauban, and stablemate Absurde, both struggled to live up to expectations.
Vauban, previously triumphant at the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot in June, had been sent on the long trip Downunder with the aim of at least securing Mullins a share of the multi-million dollar prize pot. Mullins himself had happily admitted the money at stake was part of his decision making process, speaking beforehand about “the small matter of eight million Australian dollars”.
And both Mullins runners were certainly in contention heading into the final straight, vying for the lead three furlongs from home before eventually finishing well down the Melbourne Cup results in 7th and 14th places.
Absurde’s 7th place finish did at least provide some financial consolation, securing a £100,000 payout.
Mullins has hinted at Absurde making a potential reappearance at the 2024 Melbourne Cup, stating before this year’s race that, “I will enter him for Melbourne this year to get his name on the sheet, though he’s more a Melbourne horse for next year. He could be a very good novice hurdler, good enough to go to Cheltenham. You only get one opportunity at that.”
For Mullins, the focus now shifts to preparing for the prestigious Cheltenham Festival in March. His reputation as one of the finest jumps trainers is supported by an impressive record of 94 wins at the Cheltenham Festival, a number poised to grow further in the coming months.
Positive signs are there already given the Mullins team train two of the early favourites for the upcoming Cheltenham Festival Championship races. El Fabiolo, the comfortable winner of this year’s Arkle, is expected to compete in the Champion Chase next season and is the hot favourite to win the race.
Galopin Des Champs is all primed to return to Cheltenham too, with aspirations of becoming the first horse since Al Boum Photo in 2020 to secure back-to-back Gold Cups. Prospective backers can draw early form lines later this month when he heads to Punchestown for the John Durkan Memorial.
