Irish Trainer Mullins Aims for First Melbourne Cup Win

Vauban is aiming to become the fifth horse trained in Ireland to win the Melbourne Cup. On Tuesday, Irish trainer Willie Mullins will pursue his inaugural victory in Australia’s most renowned race. Mullins, who holds the unique distinction of training 100 winners at the Cheltenham Festival for jump racing, has identified this Flat contest (04:00 GMT) as a significant event he desires to conquer. He anticipates an improved performance from Vauban, last year’s favourite who placed 14th, and will also field Absurde, who secured seventh position a year prior. Brian Ellison’s entry is Onesmoothoperator, while Sea King will compete for fellow British trainer Harry Eustace at Flemington Racecourse. Buckaroo, who placed second in the Caulfield Cup, stands out among the top Australia-based contenders in the event known as ‘the race that stops a nation’. New Zealand-born trainer Chris Waller will also present Kovalica, Land Legend, Valiant King, and Manzoice. Vauban previously secured the Lonsdale Cup at York and subsequently finished second to Kyprios in the Irish St Leger. Meanwhile, Absurde claimed the Chester Stakes, following a victory in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham in March. Mullins expresses a strong desire to win a Melbourne Cup. The 68-year-old, who achieved a second-place finish with Max Dynamite in 2015, stated: “It’s probably the biggest flat race in the world that I can win with the type of horses we buy.” He added: “That’s why it’s a race that we’d really love to win.” Hollie Doyle is scheduled to ride Sea King, and William Buick will be aboard Vauban. The Melbourne Cup has seen four previous Irish-trained victors: Vintage Crop (1993), Media Puzzle (2002), Rekindling (2017), and Twilight Payment (2020). Aidan O’Brien, a fellow countryman of Mullins, will not have the opportunity to secure his first win in the race after his horse, Jan Brueghel, did not pass a veterinary inspection last week. Enhanced testing protocols for international participants, implemented in 2021, aim to bolster the event’s safety track record. Ellison and Eustace are attempting to become just the second British trainers to claim victory in the two-mile competition, following Charlie Appleby’s success with Cross Counter six years ago. Earlier this year, Onesmoothoperator triumphed in the Northumberland Plate and subsequently secured the Geelong Cup in Australia on 23 October. British jockey Hollie Doyle will pilot Bendigo Cup winner Sea King, aspiring to be only the second female rider to win, following Australian Michelle Payne’s triumph aboard Prince Of Penzance in 2015. Doyle is part of a record contingent of four women competing in this year’s race, which also includes Jamie Kah (Okita Soushi), Rachel King (The Map), and Winona Costin (Positivity). Waller commented: “I think it’s the most important thing.” He added: “We’re all equal on a racetrack and that’s what makes racing so unique.”