DAVID Casey has made no secret of the major ambition within Willie Mullins’ team to record a breakthrough Melbourne Cup triumph, and believes the stable’s two contenders are right where they need to be ahead of Tuesday’s feature.

Next year marks a decade since the 16-time Grade 1-winning jockey called time on his highly fruitful riding career and, in that period, he has fully embraced a host of trips to Melbourne in his key role within the Mullins operation.

Speaking from Werribee Racecourse, where Flemington’s international runners are based, Casey told The Irish Field: “There’s a huge build up to this race and it’s a fantastic thing to be involved in.

“It’s a case of so far, so good with the horses. Everything has gone well. They did their last bit of strong work a few days ago, so we’re just trying to get them to the races as fresh as possible now.

“At the moment, they seem to be in great order. It didn’t work last year, so we’ve tried some things different. We’ll know whether it has worked on Tuesday. Willie came out last week [for a short visit before returning to Ireland] and was delighted when he saw them.”

When asked to compare the credentials of the Mullins duo, Casey quipped: “If one of them sticks their head in front, I don’t mind which one it is!”

Both clearly bring high-quality form to the table.

“You’d hope Vauban is going to be competitive on his Irish St Leger form - he’s had very good form all season,” Casey added.

“This is obviously a handicap, so he’ll have to give weight to plenty of horses, and it looks like he’ll have top-weight. Hopefully, he’ll carry through his European form to here.

“Absurde is in great order. He had a break after winning at Cheltenham, ran at the Curragh and then won at Chester. He’s actually a kilo better off with Vauban this year, for finishing a long way in front of him in last year’s Cup. I’m not certain Vauban is a half kilo better horse this year, and I know for definite that Absurde isn’t a half kilo worse.

“He’s a half kilo lighter than last year; that definitely throws him in the mix. He ran a stormer [when seventh] last year. I’d be hopeful he’d be very competitive too.”

There is no shortage of pressure in preparing two high-profile runners for one of the world’s most iconic races on the other side of the world, but the challenge is one Casey relishes.

“I love it, I thrive on it,” he said. “This is what we got involved in racing for in the first place, to try to be involved in big races. There’s no bigger race for us at the moment than the Melbourne Cup.”