Melbourne 7th November

Vauban (Ryan Moore) and Absurde (Zac Purton) run in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup Handicap over 2 miles. Both horses quarantined well and their work has been fantastic since arriving in Melbourne. Temperatures over the last few days have been around 30c so the ground will be fast. Although we would have preferred slower ground we don’t expect the firm conditions to be a problem for either horse. Vauban is improving all the time and has a great draw in stall 3. His Ascot and Naas runs were top class and he is a worthy favourite for today’s race. With a bit of luck in running we think he can take another step forward and land this hugely prestigious prize. We were lucky to get the services of top Australian jockey Zac Purton for Absurde. When they ran at Ascot, Absurde finished 7.5 lengths behind Vauban but we think he will get a lot closer today. He won the Ebor at York last time and has improved significantly since. He could be great each-way value.