Lloyd Williams’ advice, prediction and favorite he doubts over 3200m

Melbourne Cup king Lloyd Williams believes Vauban will atone for his Cup failure last year with victory, although he strongly doubts Buckaroo can run the 3200m with confidence.

Williams, a seven-time Melbourne Cup winner who is without a Cup competitor for the first time in two decades, also sees the $20 Land Legend bolter as a worthy chance.

But Williams is optimistic about Vauban ($6), who received a different training this year from Irish training master Willie Mullins after going over 13 lengths without a fight in last year’s Cup.

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“I’m very confident in Willie Mullins winning with Vauban,” Williams said.

“I think this horse was perfectly prepared to race this year and I think the trainer is a master trainer.

“Vauban arrived in Australia later this year with the second batch, so they won’t be here for long and that will help a lot.

“The jockey (William Buick) was a winner at the Breeders’ Cup meeting in the US, so he’s fit, which helps a lot.”

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The Chris Waller-trained Buckaroo was one of the re-scorers of the spring carnival, delivering a brilliant Group 1 Underwood Stakes win and an eye-catching runner-up finish in the Caulfield Cup.

But it is Waller’s stablemate, Group 1 winner Metropolitan Land Legend, who Zac Purton will ride from barrier 18, which Williams believes is a bigger weapon in the Melbourne Cup.

“The wide barrier will help Land Legend because he won’t be able to run from there and Zac Purton will be able to let him go in the straight and get his rhythm,” Williams said.

“Chris Waller does great things, he’s a great coach, I would sing his praises from the rooftops.

“Buckaroo has the right shape, but it’s not two-mile.

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“I know this horse very well because Joseph O’Brien had him in Ireland. As for the form, I have known this horse since childhood.

“I just really doubt this horse can go two miles.

“If he wins, I’ll be rooting for him because owners like Ozzie Hair and Bray Sokolski deserve it with the amount of money they put into racing.

“Out of some of the other runners, Absurd probably has some hopes, but I don’t think he’s anywhere near as good as the other horse, Willie (Vauban).

“James Cummings’ horse (Zardozi) will run well, he ran well on Saturday and won the Oaks last year and he likes Flemington.

“I expect the Geelong and Bendigo Cup winners (Onesmoothoperator and Sea King) to run reasonable races and finish somewhere between second and seventh.”

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At one stage Williams and co-owner James Packer considered Point King one of the heavy favorites for the Melbourne Cup until he was ruled out on veterinary advice following a scan.

This meant Williams’ famous navy and white colors would not be featured at the 2024 Melbourne Cup.

Williams supports Racing Victoria’s push for greater veterinary monitoring and scanning following an untimely spate of fatalities in the Melbourne Cup several years ago, but the legendary Cup winner insists officials must always ensure they are using the latest scanning technology.

“After the CT scan I had Point King – one year I had seven runners in the Melbourne Cup but none this year,” Williams said.

“I think Racing Victoria needed to do something because horses were dying at the races.

“The only thing I would say is that to avoid any conflicts with riders, they should always consider upgrading the scanner they have.

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“The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has changed visualization.

“Over the past nine months, the situation has improved dramatically in both people and animals in the United States.

“If they had gotten even better images (for the Melbourne Cup scans) there would be no guesswork.

“In the world of artificial intelligence, it would be easier for them if they could get better images, then there would be no doubt.

“But I fully support the steps they have taken so far.”