'We have no excuses in our Melbourne Cup quest this year' - Mullins
Willie Mullins says there will be no excuses if one of his two shots at the Melbourne Cup don't come off Photo: ©INPHO/Tom Maher
- British and Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins has two runners set to take part in the Melbourne Cup overnight with Vauban and Absurde
- Vauban is second favourite to land the top prize at Flemington, while Absurde is among the top four in the betting as well
- The Melbourne Cup is a race that Mullins is desperate to add to his CV, having conquered the UK and Ireland he now has his sight set on Australia and has revealed his runners have "no excuses" this time around
Speaking in his column in the Sporting Life Mullins said:
"We’ve done things differently with Vauban and Absurde this time around ahead of the Lexus Melbourne Cup.
"I’m not sure being in quarantine for so long last time suited them so we’ve gone down a different route and we went out on the last shift which travelled to Australia.
"I raced them more this year too, so they had nothing to do down there other than freshen up and get ready for the race. It’s all gone well.
"The weather has been so up and down. When I went out two weeks ahead of the race it was 14 degrees but felt like eight, David Casey told me the day before it was 32 and blasting hot.
"Our Irish horses aren’t used to anything like that, it’s very hard for them to race at 30 degrees which it was at the time the Cup was run in 2023.
"This time thankfully it’s forecast to be a little cooler which will help.
"Vauban’s form this year has been fantastic including behind Kyprios in the Irish St Leger and I loved what Absurde did on his last run at Chester, settling in behind, getting one gap and taking it.
"We know he has the speed and stamina for this race and Kerrin McEvoy has been booked to ride and he’s won two Melbourne Cups so hopefully we have the right man in the saddle.
"With the weight he has to carry it’s very hard to find the right jockey with the big-race experience, while William Buick, who rides Vauban, has been riding great all year.
"I'm very happy with both horses, they’re in great shape, and I’m happy with their draws too. We have no excuses on that front.
"After last year we wanted another go at the race with both horses and we’re looking forward to Tuesday."
