The recent sale of Vauban, who made a triumphant return at Rosehill last Saturday, has prompted Willie Mullins to seek new contenders for the Spring Carnival, and he may have found one just last week.

The renowned Irish trainer has spotted the longshot JCB Triumph Hurdle winner, Poniros, as a potential runner for the Melbourne Cup.

Poniros, a four-year-old son of Golden Horn, was victorious at Cheltenham in the 3419m event at odds of 100/1 on his debut for Mullins. The horse, owned by Tony Bloom, the owner of Brighton and Hove Albion FC, had previously been trained by Ralph Beckett. During his time with Beckett, Poniros made eight appearances, with his only other victory being a 1709m maiden win on debut in October 2023. Following his win, Mullins shared his Melbourne Cup aspirations for the gelding.

“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 explained.

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

“I imagine he’ll go to Punchestown, and then we’ll find 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 in the last two years with Vauban and Absurde.

Vauban, the favourite in 2023, finished 14th, and last year he placed 11th. He was subsequently sold to Australian interests and is now under the care of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, who prepared him to claim victory in last Saturday’s Group lll Sky High Stakes (2000m).

Absurde, who competed in the 2023 Melbourne Cup, placed seventh, improving to fifth last year.