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Meet the Melbourne Cup raiders

Posted on by angelo
Meet the Melbourne Cup raiders

Vauban

Coach: Willie Mullins

Nomination: Melbourne Cup

Vauban is no stranger to Melbourne, having finished fourteenth in last year’s Melbourne Cup as the $5.50 favorite for the race. However, the consensus seems to be that he ran his race during his track gallop at Flemington the week before the Cup. Her trainer Willie Mullins said it was best to put a point on that performance and he would take a different approach to training her for the race this year. Vauban has consistently performed well in Europe in 2024 in some of the continent’s most prestigious events. He was shaping up to win the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot but the 4000m proved a bridge too far, he did the job to salute in the G2 Lonsdale Cup at York and more recently came well at the finish line to win second place. place behind world-class stayer Kyprios in the Irish St. Leger. The Irish galloper only has half a kilo left to carry for this year’s Melbourne Cup, he is in great shape and his connections have learned a lot from last year. It will definitely be a huge chance this time, the first Tuesday in November.

WATCH: Vauban’s race at the Irish St. Leger

Jan Brueghel

Coach: Aidan O’Brien

Nomination: Melbourne Cup

Undefeated 3 year old trained by the legendary Aidan O’Brien. The master trainer was unsure about having a runner in this year’s Cup, but belatedly confirmed Jan Brueghel would be his first runner since 2020 – where Tiger Moth finished second. Shortcut from $21 to $13 on back of call to come to Australia. Brueghel’s last victory came in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster, where he beat stablemate Illinois by a neck. Before that he won at Group 3 level at Goodwood in the Gordon Stakes, beating Bellum Justum by a neck. In third position and more than three lengths back was Melbourne Cup-bound Sayedaty Sadaty.

WATCH: Jan Brueghel wins the St Leger Stakes

Absurd

Coach: Willie Mullins

Nomination: Melbourne Cup

Like his stablemate Vauban, Absurde is a returning visitor to Melbourne, having finished seventh in last year’s Melbourne Cup, where he had looked a winner on home soil, but he may have arrived with his race a a little too soon. In 2024, Absurde demonstrated his versatility by winning over the hurdles at the prestigious Cheltenham Festival and more recently, he accelerated well to win the Lister Chester Stakes over 2900m. Mullins has publicly described him as an eccentric horse, but believes he has improved since last year and is doing well at 52.5kg, half a kilo less than last year. With these factors in mind and given what he has shown in 2023 and 2024, he is sure to be a key contender for the Melbourne Cup this year.

WATCH: Absurde’s latest victory in the UK

Kinesiology

Coach: Chris Waller

Nomination: Melbourne Cup

Kinesiology arrives in Melbourne as a progressive, lightly raced young stayer from the northern hemisphere and aged three. Formerly trained by Jessica Harrington in Ireland, Kinesiology will be trained in Australia by Chris Waller. Officially he is only a maiden winner, but he passed the first post in the Listed Vinnie Roe Stakes and was subsequently withdrawn from the race in protest. He was very green that day, which led to the interference he caused, and he should race more professionally if he wants to win the Melbourne Cup. By the way, this is the same race that Interpretation and Point King won before coming to Australia. Since then, Kinesiology has only had one start, where he led the field in a 2,400m Group 3 race at Leopardstown, and although he was no match for Trustyourinstinct, he held on well for second place. He doesn’t have the score on the board yet like Vauban and Absurde, but he’s a horse in progress at only 50kg and he’s joining one of the best stables in the country, so he certainly deserves respect.

WATCH: Latest Kinesiology Outing in Ireland