We’ve already heard that Excelleration is on the Melbourne Cup trail, with another horse now confirmed.
Vauban, the well-fancied Irish runner who took part last year, could be heading to Flemington again. Trainer Willie Mullins clearly still thinks he is the perfect Melbourne Cup type.
Popular Jumper Targeting Melbourne
Trainer Willie Mullins is not ruling out sending Vauban to the Punchestown Festival over the jumps first, with his ultimate target for the year being the Melbourne Cup on November 5.
The six-year-old gelding, owned by Rich Ricci, hasn’t been seen on the track since he finished 14th in last year’s race when favourite for the event.
Vauban was last seen over hurdles at last year’s Punchestown Festival. There, he finished behind stablemate State Man.
Having won a Royal Ascot handicap in June, he preceded another teammate Absurde. That horse went on to win the Ebor Handicap, earning himself a spot in the Melbourne Cup too.
Vauban then arrived in Australia strong in the betting and offering connections plenty of hope. In deciding on a repeat bid, Mullins spoke recently to say another campaign on the flat is coming for his horse.
A number of Melbourne Cup horses try again, with Vauban a pretty high-profile example. He may go to Punchestown next before heading to places like York, Ascot and the Curragh.
Now that he is a confirmed top-level, weight-for-age performer, handicaps are probably no longer an option. A tilt at the Ascot Gold Cup is likely. That race is a Group 1 event run over the marathon distance of 4000 metres. The Yorkshire Cup and the Curragh Cup could also be on the cards.
Cup Hero Gold Trip Suffers Injury
The 2022 Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip has suffered a potentially career-ending injury.
The Flemington hero has incurred a tendon injury which, best case scenario, rules him out of racing until June. It could of course mean he is no longer seen on the track.
Winning at 20/1, Gold Trip provided the then partnership of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace with their biggest success in the 2022 Cup under jockey Mark Zahra. He went on to win two Cups in a row.
Zahra was also on board when Gold Trip ran admirably in third place at Caulfield last month. It has since been discovered however that he picked up what is a serious injury.
David Eustace his since moved on to train in Hong Kong, leaving Gold Trip in the sole care of Ciaron Maher. He reported this week that Gold Trip’s tendon injury has left the team with sadness.
As expected, Maher reports that the team will fully rehabilitate Gold Trip regardless of whether he goes on to race again or not. A quality campaigner, Gold Trip was fourth behind Sotsass in the 2020 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe before heading to Australia.
