‘Like the SAS: Favourite Vauban powers through Flemington run

Vauban is the Melbourne Cup favourite. Here’s why. A rival trainer gets tired just watching him.

Melbourne Cup favourite Vauban ridden by David Casey at Flemington on Tuesday. Picture: Getty Images

Melbourne Cup favourite Vauban couldn’t have looked more powerful in army fatigues. All that was missing from his first lap of Flemington was a commando roll and a hundred push-ups at the finishing post.

One of Australia’s leading trainers was left awe-struck.

Melbourne-based Mick Price, who’ll throw a saddle on Lastotchka at the Cup, said of Vauban: “It’s a 3200m race. He will be the toughest, fittest, soundest horse in the race. There will be no horse that will do more work. He had a bit of a sweat coming back into the mounting yard, as you would. It was like the SAS out there. I felt tired looking at it.”

Vauban is trained by Willie Mullins in Ireland. The French stayer is a winner of the gruelling, prestigious 3382m Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in England – the Olympics of jumps racing – and has been a powerhouse since switching to the flats. To be covering less ground than he did at Cheltenham without the energy-draining, muscle-straining duress of jumps … the Cup might be a walk in the park for him.

The big lug arrived at the Werribee quarantine centre a few weeks ago. Preparing for the first Tuesday in November, he hadn’t set a hoof on Flemington’s hallowed turf until the last Tuesday in October.

He stomped and pranced around like a boss. Roared through his 1600m hitout as if it wasn’t nearly enough. He’s been a $4-$5 Cup favourite since thundering to victory in the 2816m Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot in June but his first run at Flemington has slashed his odds to $3.80.

Vauban has received a handicap of 55kg for the marathon journey, 3kg lighter than the defending champ, Gold Trip, another Frenchman and the second favourite at $5. Gold Trip is trained by the Australian duo of Ciaron Maher and Davis Eustace and will be lumbered with 58.5kg for the three-minute journey.

Vauban’s stamina is sensational but Maher queries his speed. “I’ve got a little bit of a query as to whether he’s quite sharp enough,” he said. “He’s a good horse, obviously, but I just query … whether he’s going to have the turn of foot.”

International horses usually lose weight on the flight to Australia. Their airline food isn’t much better than ours. Then at Werribee, they take a while to regain their appetites, but Vauban has been eating like the greediest pig from day one.

He stuck his face into his feed bin as soon as he arrived and if anything, Mullins has to ensure he doesn’t pork up a bit too much.

Vauban glistened with sweat after Tuesday’s thunderous session. Five-hundred kilograms of pure muscle. His nose was in the air like a French waiter who knows he’s a bit of a good sort. He streeted away from stablemate Absurde as modern-day Clarence The Clockers timed his final 400m at an ominous 23.49sec.

Vauban will be ridden by Englishman Ryan Moore, who won the 2014 Cup on Protectionist, and Mullins is the king of world jumps racing who’s been trying to win a Melbourne Cup for 20 years.

He came closest with Max Dynamite, who was runner-up to Michelle Payne’s 100-1 shot Prince of Penzance in 2015.

“It’s the biggest international prize we could win,” Mullins says. “I think Vauban is the best opportunity I’ve had to win the Melbourne Cup since Max Dynamite. He could be better than Max. I think he’s still improving. We think he’s got a big enough engine to be a big player.”