Mullins touched down in Australia this week to personally oversee Vauban and Absurde as they prepare for the race that stops a nation. Mullins is confident in both contenders, declaring, “both horses are ready this minute to run”.
Vauban and Absurde are currently undergoing quarantine at Werribee, and Mullins is happy with their progress.
“Both horses have settled in very well,” he reported. “I’m pleased with how they pull out of the work, and if they can just keep doing that until the Cup, that will be our objective.”
Vauban has come down much fitter this year than last, after Mullins put him on a different program for the European summer, racing him all the way through. Now, in Australia, he’ll have a freshen up and a “blowout” before the Cup.
Absurde had a break, and exceeded Mullins’s expectations after his win in Chester, in the UK. He was particularly impressed with Absurde’s development, observing, “I’m much happier with him this year. He seems more mature in his mind and he just seems to have grown up.”