Mullins’ attention turns to Cheltenham build-up after Melbourne Cup challenge falls flat

Willie Mullins' dreams of securing his biggest flat racing victory to date were dashed over in Australia, as pre-race Melbourne Cup favourite Vauban and stablemate Absurde both faded in the closing furlongs to finish outside the top places.

High expectations surrounded Vauban following a triumph at the Copper Horse Handicap during Royal Ascot in June, fueling confidence that the Mullins camp could outperform Australia's elite flat racers to secure a substantial portion of the eight million Australian Dollar prize purse.

Vauban made his way into contention as the horses entered the final straight, and even briefly took the lead around three furlongs from home, but had nothing left to give by that point, fading considerably and finishing down in 14th place..

Stablemate Absurde provided a modest silver lining with a 7th place finish, securing a £100,000 payout, yet the overall race outcome won’t be remembered fondly by the legendary Irish horse racing trainer.

Mullins has hinted at a potential second Melbourne Cup attempt with Absurde though, saying before this year’s race, "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."

Betting sites aren’t convinced at this stage though, with melbourne-cup.online claiming Absurde can be backed at 33/1 for the 2024 Melbourne Cup.

For Mullins though, the priority will be to continue building towards March’s Cheltenham Festival, as he aims to further enhance his reputation as one of the best jumps trainers of all time. His stable can already boast a record setting 94 Cheltenham Festival wins, and it would be surprising if the tally doesn’t surpass 100 in the months ahead.

Early signs are encouraging, with the Mullins camp responsible for training two of the early favourites for next for the Cheltenham Festival Championship races.

El Fabiolo won this year’s Arkle with ease, and the expectation is he’ll be targeted at the Champion Chase next time round.

Galopin Des Champs is set to be the other big hope for the Mullins camp, as this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup winner returns to Gloucestershire aiming to become the first horse to win back-to-back Gold Cups since Al Boum Photo in 2020. Prospective backers of the horse will get their first chance to see him in action later this month, as he travels to Punchestown for the John Durkan Memorial.