A saying often heard in sports is ‘you’ve got to lose one to win one’.

Referring to teams who have lost grand finals before winning one soon after, it can be applied to the Melbourne Cup as well.

It was as recent as last year that Without A Fight won the Emirates Melbourne Cup 12 months after failing in the same race.

In 2022, Without A Fight finished 13th, beaten 21L. He added his name to the race’s distinguished honour roll last year.

Current race favourite Vauban contested the 2023 Cup, but flopped (finished 14th).

A year later, and master Irish trainer Willie Mullens has brought back Vauban for another tilt.

In addition to Vauban, Mullens will saddle up Absurde, who finished 7th in 2023.

Vauban takes on this year’s Cup in better touch than he was when he contested the race last year, with a recent 2nd to the world’s best stayer in Kyprios a highlight.

Mullens says Vauban is the pick of his two runners, with the trainer holding his best ever hand as he strides for his maiden Melbourne Cup winner.

The 68-year-old has tried to win the race many times, but has only managed two seconds.

“Vauban’s form stands out,” Mullens said.

“Vauban’s form has been very good all season and he brings great depth of form into the race.

“Absurde has done nothing wrong and I think he’s a horse that’s maturing all the time in his mind.”

Vauban will be steered by star international jockey William Buick.

Like Mullens, the Melbourne Cup is a race that has evaded Buick, but he believes Vauban is his best chance yet.

“I’ve never won the Melbourne Cup, but I’ve ridden in a handful of them now,” he said.

“Being a two-mile race, your horse needs stamina, which he has, but I always believe that the horses for the Melbourne Cup, they have a bit of pace.”

“He has that pace; he has that acceleration that I believe is vital in the Melbourne Cup.”

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Australia’s leading trainer Chris Waller won his first Melbourne Cup in 2021 with super mare Verry Elleegant, but this year, he’ll arguably carry the best hand he’s ever had in the great race.

Waller, who trained the second and third placegetters in last year’s Cup, will saddle up five runners on Tuesday.

Two of those in Buckaroo and Land Legend are near the top of the market, Kovalica has had steady support since a solid run in the Cox Plate 10 days ago, while Manzoice and Valiant King are rank outsiders.

Unfortunately for Waller, Saturday’s barrier draw wasn’t kind to him, with only one of his five drawing inside barrier 17 (Manzoice – 8).

Buckaroo (21) was the runner up in the Caulfield Cup 17 days ago, and has the x-factor required to win a Melbourne Cup, but the query is whether he runs out the trip.

Land Legend (18) was third in the Caulfield Cup, is a winner over 2600 metres and has been given a lovely Melbourne Cup preparation.

Despite the bad luck at the draw, Waller is confident in his troops.

He also gave a slight push towards a $126 shot in Valiant King, who he says is a “similar” horse to last year’s third placegetter Sheraz.

“It’s good to have two right up in the market. Land Legend I think complements Buckaroo and he’s shown that with a Group 1 win this preparation in Sydney. He is very well bred, he is by Galileo who is one of the best stallions of all-time,” Waller said.

“We’ve got a Derby winner who is well down in the market but has won on the biggest stage here at Flemington two years ago in Manzoice.

“Kovalica is coming out of the right form races and Valiant King is a real genuine two-miler and that’s when the stamina counts.

“We ran third in the race last year with Sheraz, who is a similar type of horse, so I’m confident of the five that Valiant King will probably stay the best.”

Waller said that Land Legend is a horse that’s good enough but has his fair share of quirks. The trainer explained what he’s done to help the horse be on his best behaviour during race day.

“He over-raced in the Caulfield Cup,” Waller said.

“Before the race he got worked up and tried to take the rider on. Zac Purton is a world-class rider and doesn’t have trouble with many horses, but he did with Land Legend.

“The earmuffs will go on to block out the noise of the crowd.

“Most horses handle it quite well, but for him it might add to his excitement, so we’re just trying to dull that sound.

“He won’t be hearing that race noise … it can be overwhelming.”

CAN UK RAIDER BREAK 13-YEAR DROUGHT

It’s one of the most important local Melbourne Cup lead up races, given its ideal two-week time frame, yet it’s been 13 years since a Geelong Cup winner has backed up to win ‘The Race That Stops The Nation’.

However, such was the ease of how UK raider Onesmoothoperator was able to put his rivals to the sword in this year’s Geelong Cup, many good judges believe the Brian Ellison-trained gelding can be the first horse since Dunaden in 2011 to complete the double.

When he arrived in Australia, Onesmoothoperator was as much as triple figures for the Cup.

In his maiden Australian start 13 days ago, the seven-year-old raced away from a handy Geelong Cup field and won by four lengths, plummeting into a $9 chance in Tuesday’s great race.

Ironically, Onesmoothoperator’s jockey Craig Williams partnered Dunaden to win the 2011 Geelong Cup, but he was unfortunately suspended and missed out in the Melbourne Cup a fortnight later.

Williams draws parallels between Dunaden and his Cup ride for 2024, believing Onesmoothoperator

“This horse is on a similar trajectory to Dunaden and he won the Geelong Cup pretty much the same way Dunaden did, although I got to the front a bit earlier this time,” Williams told Racenet.

“This horse has the same running style as Dunaden, although a slightly different head carriage.

“People should remember that Dunaden wasn’t the horse he was until after he won the Geelong Cup and then he got confidence and got better and won the Melbourne Cup.

“Yes, I can win this year’s Melbourne Cup, given the way with the way this horse won at Geelong and the improvement to come.”

Not only is there improvement to come, but Onesmoothoperator ticks the all-important distance box required to win a 3200m Melbourne Cup, having won easily over 3319m back in June.