Australia: All eyes on Vauban in Melbourne Cup

There are not many horses in the world like Vauban, the favorite for the Group 1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse in Australia on Monday evening.

Vauban has won 4 of 6 starts in flat races on turf, notably the Copper Horse Handicap at 1 3/4 miles at Royal Ascot in Britain on June 20, and the Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Naas Racecourse in Ireland on Aug. 7.

A 5-year-old gelding, Vauban is equally accomplished in hurdle races, notably with a win in the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle for 4-year-olds at 2 1/8 miles at the prestigious Cheltenham Festival in Britain in March 2022.

Vauban should have no issue with the two-mile distance of the $5.4 million Melbourne Cup, which has a field of 24. But with a big field, a clean trip is vital in a race in which the runners frequently race in close proximity.

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As of early Sunday, Vauban was the 3-1 favorite, a relative low price considering the large field. Trained by Willie Mullins, Vauban will be ridden by Ryan Moore, who rode Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita on Friday and Saturday, winning twice.

Moore rode Vauban for the first time to a win in the Copper Horse Handicap.

The Melbourne Cup is a handicap, and Vauban has a favorable weight at 122.3 pounds.

Only three other horses had single-digit odds as of early Sunday – 2022 winner Gold Trip and Without a Fight (5-1), and Soulcombe (9-1).

Gold Trip won the 2022 Melbourne Cup at 20-1, carrying topweight of 126.7 pounds. This year, Gold Trip will carry 129 pounds. The other assignments range from 110.2 to 124.5 pounds.

In recent starts, Gold Trip has had mixed form. He won the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Flemington on Oct. 7, finished third behind Without a Fight in the Grade 1 Caulfield Cup at 1 1/2 miles at Caulfield Racecourse on Oct. 21, and was fifth by slightly less than 1 1/2 lengths in the Grade 1 Cox Plate at about 1 1/4 miles at Moonee Valley a week later.

Gold Trip will break from post 2 in the Melbourne Cup, which is likely to lead to an inside trip under jockey James McDonald, who leads Australian riders in money earnings for the current season, which began in August.

Without a Fight, 13th in the 2022 Melbourne Cup, has not raced since a win in the Caulfield Cup. Soulcombe, was third in the Turnbull and seventh in the Caulfield Cup, has been troubled by slow starts in recent races.

Without a Fight carries 124.5 pounds, while Soulcombe will carry 118.

Big Dance Preview

Cepheus, a winner of three of his last four starts since early July, will be a slight favorite to win the richest running of the $1.95 million Big Dance Stakes at a mile at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Monday evening.

The Big Dance Stakes was launched last year. The 2022 running worth $1.27 million.

Cepheus will carry a hefty topweight of 136.6 pounds, spotting 19 rivals from nine to 22 pounds.

Trained by Matthew Dunn, Cepheus tends to run as a stalker, a style that led to a win in the newly created $955,600 Alan Brown Stakes at seven furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on Oct. 7. A 7-year-old gelding, Cepheus has been in the best form of his career in recent months.

Cepheus is a slight choice over Iknowastar, who has won his last four starts since early September, setting the pace in each win. A front-running win could be more difficult in a large field in the Big Dance Stakes.

Randwick has a 10-race program beginning at 7:45 p.m. Eastern or 4:45 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

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