Following Vauban’s impressive return at Rosehill last Saturday, his recent sale has led Willie Mullins to explore new candidates for the upcoming Spring Carnival, and he may have uncovered one just last week.

The esteemed Irish trainer has identified the longshot JCB Triumph Hurdle winner, Poniros, as a possible contender for the Melbourne Cup.

Poniros, a four-year-old son of Golden Horn, triumphed at Cheltenham in the 3419m event at odds of 100/1 on his first appearance for Mullins. Owned by Tony Bloom, the chairman of Brighton and Hove Albion FC, Poniros had previously been trained by Ralph Beckett. While under Beckett’s guidance, Poniros made eight starts, with his sole other victory being a 1709m maiden win on debut in October 2023. After this latest win, Mullins outlined his aspirations for the gelding in the Melbourne Cup.

“We bought him in October, schooled him, and gave him a break. We said we’d better drag him in from the field and get him ready for Cheltenham, and that’s what we did,” Mullins shared.

“However, I wasn’t expecting anything more than a nice run.”

“I imagine he’ll go to Punchestown, and then we’ll look for something at Royal Ascot, perhaps.”

“He was bought as a dual-purpose horse, and I am hoping in time he might turn into a Melbourne Cup horse – that would be the long-term plan.”

Mullins has had representation at Flemington on the first Tuesday in November over the past two years with both Vauban and Absurde.

Vauban, who was the favourite in 2023, finished 14th, and last year, he placed 11th. Afterward, he was sold to Australian owners and is now trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, who prepared him to win the Group lll Sky High Stakes (2000m) last Saturday.

Absurde, who took part in the 2023 Melbourne Cup, finished seventh, improving to fifth the following year.