Absurde - Willie Mullins
It seems hard to believe Absurde was sent off at a bigger price to win a handicap hurdle at this year's Cheltenham Festival than he was when running in last year's Lexus Melbourne Cup. Should he win the Cup at the second attempt, it will be anything but hard to believe.
The Cheltenham success came in the County Hurdle, one of the most scaldingly hot handicaps of the British jumps season. Absurde won it with bags of class and authority. The same was true back on the Flat when he saluted in a Chester Listed event on the final day of August.
Racing Post Ratings indicate the Chester win was every bit as good as Absurde's success in the 2023 Ebor. That, in itself, makes him interesting for this year's Lexus Melbourne Cup, particularly as he now has slightly less weight to carry. Expect him to be ridden with more patience than in 2023 and therefore also expect him to finish more strongly.
Absurde might be Willie Mullins' second string but he is undoubtedly one of this Lexus Melbourne Cup's leading players.
Kinesiology - Chris Waller
Here's a tempting Lexus Melbourne Cup contender - that might well be the 2025 Cup, but this former Irish stayer is likely to be worth the wait.
A career record of one win from seven starts is deceiving, not least because Kinesiology was also first past the post in the Listed Vinnie Roe Stakes only to then lose the race following a stewards' room verdict that could have gone either way.
That Leopardstown contest is often a decent race but it represents just one of many strong pieces of form this northern hemisphere-bred three-year-old has posted. At Gowran Park in late July he got to within half a length of The Euphrates, who since then has finished a fine fourth to Kyprios in the Irish St Leger and won the 30-runner Irish Cesarewitch. Most recently, Kinesiology finished an excellent second in a Leopardstown 2,400-metre Group 3 in which he tried to lead from start to finish. The winner of that race, Trustyourinstinct, has been earmarked for international Group 1 missions.
As a son of Study Of Man and a Sea The Stars mare, Kinesiology's breeding screams stamina but he also has enough pace to be competitive over middle distances.
There could be plenty of improvement in him and, as such, he is one to watch. Chris Waller has inherited a colt from Jessica Harrrington who could well flourish in Australia.
Sea King - Harry Eustace
Having raced 18 times, Sea King could hardly be called unexposed, but his former trainer, Sir Mark Prescott, is famously patient with horses, so it's not inconceivable this stoutly-bred son of Sea The Stars could progress beyond what he has so far achieved.
There was certainly lots to like about the way he plugged on to take sixth in the Ebor, particularly as he had been keen through the early stages. That represented his stiffest test to date and confirmed earlier impressions that stepping up to 3,200 metres should be helpful, providing he settles.
Sea King is a strong traveller who appears to have benefited for the application of headgear. He will be staying in Australia after the spring carnival.
Birdman - Chris Waller
Jessica Harrington knew Birdman was going to be green prior to his belated racecourse debut over 2,400 metres at Cork in late April. She was right. He was extremely green that day and when described by his trainer as "a great big baby" after securing Listed honours on only his second outing at Navan.
From there it was on to the Queen's Vase (2,800 metres) at Royal Ascot, where Birdman's immaturity once again showed. He finished third but got caught out wide and was better than his two-length third to Illinois might suggest.
His subsequent performance in the Leopardstown Listed prize in which then stable companion Kinesiology finished first past the post was too bad to be true. Indeed, the two horses are very closely matched on a previous piece of collateral form.
Birdman will get better with time and racing. How good he might get is anyone's guess but the manner in which he weakened out of the Geelong Cup on his debut for Chris Waller suggests it may be the autumn before this import starts to thrive.
Sayedaty Sadaty - Ciaron Maher
You do not finish fifth in the Derby at Epsom unless you're a good horse. It was an effort that persuaded Australian Bloodstock to swoop for a northern hemisphere three-year-old who can easily be forgiven his down-the-field effort in the Caulfield Cup.
There must, however, be a chance Sayedaty Sadaty's best days in Australia will come beyond this year's Melbourne Cup Carnival. As a son of stamina influence Anodin, he was always likely to progress with time, while his four-length third to Jan Brueghel at Glorious Goodwood, although a little shy of the Epsom form, confirmed him to be a solid Group-class performer.
