Vauban and Absurde are once again leading the European challengers for the Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington on November 5.
The Willie Mullins-trained duo both competed in last year's two-mile Group One, with Vauban starting as the favourite under Ryan Moore but finishing a disappointing 14th out of 23. Absurde, on the other hand, performed credibly, securing seventh place.
This year, Vauban earned his spot in the Melbourne Cup with a victory in the Lonsdale Cup at York last month, while Absurde qualified by winning the Listed Chester Stakes over the weekend. Mullins also has a third entry, Hipop De Loire, who finished fifth in the Ebor.
The Henry de Bromhead-trained Magical Zoe secured an automatic place in the Melbourne Cup by winning the Ebor and is part of a formidable Irish contingent that also includes Aidan O’Brien’s entries: Grosvenor Square, Illinois, Jan Brueghel, Point Lonsdale, The Equator, and The Euphrates.
After last year’s race saw no British-trained runners, this year sees Brian Ellison’s Northumberland Plate winner Onesmoothoperator and Arrest from the John and Thady Gosden team among the entries.
Andrew Balding has two potential runners: Night Sparkle and Relentless Voyager, while Jean-Claude Rouget has entered Delius.
Ex-British runner Without A Fight, who won last year’s Melbourne Cup for Anthony and Sam Freedman, is among the 123 initial nominations.
Other notable names include Poptronic, now trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott after a Champions Day win for Karl Burke last year, Place Du Carrousel, 2020 Derby winner Serpentine, and Middle Earth, who was a Group Three winner for the Gosdens earlier in the season but will now represent Ciaron Maher.