Irish trainer Willie Mullins will aim for an elusive maiden Melbourne Cup victory in Australia's most famous race on Tuesday.
Mullins, the only man to train 100 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, has targeted the flat competition (0300 GMT) as a key event he wants to win.
He hopes last year's favorite Vauban, who finished 14th, can do better this time around, while Mullins will also lead Absurde, who finished seventh 12 months ago.
Onesmoothoperator represents Brian Ellison, while Sea King represents fellow British trainer Harry Eustace at Flemington Racecourse.
Caulfield Cup finalist Buckaroo is among Australia's leading hopes in the 'race that stops a nation'. New Zealand-born trainer Chris Waller also rides Kovalica, Land Legend, Valiant King and Manzoice.
Vauban won the Lonsdale Cup at York before finishing second to Kyprios in the Irish St Leger last time out, while Absurde won the Chester Stakes after winning the County Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.
Mullins would love to win a Melbourne Cup.
“This is probably the biggest flat race in the world that I could win with the type of horses we buy,” said Mullins, 68, who finished second with Max Dynamite in 2015.
“That’s why it’s a race we’d really like to win.”
