Melbourne Cup king Lloyd Williams believes Vauban will atone for his failure in last year’s Cup and take victory, while he highly doubts Buckaroo will run a strong 3200m.

Williams, a seven-time Melbourne Cup owner and without a Cup runner for the first time in two decades, also identified Land Legend, a $20 bolter, as a decent chance.

But it is Vauban ($6) – who received a different preparation from Irish maestro Willie Mullins this year after finishing more than 13 lengths back without a fight in last year’s Cup – that Williams is optimistic about.

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“I’m very confident that Willie Mullins will win with Vauban,” Williams said.

“I think this horse has been perfectly prepared for racing this year and I think the trainer is a master trainer.

“Vauban arrived in Australia later this year, for the second time, so they are not there as long and that will help enormously.

“The jockey (William Buick) rode a winner at the Breeders’ Cup meeting in the United States, so he’s in good shape, which is very helpful.”

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The Chris Waller-trained Buckaroo was one of the re-evaluations of the spring carnival, producing a resounding victory in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes and an eye-catching second place in the Caulfield Cup.

But it is Waller’s teammate, Group 1 metropolitan winner Land Legend, who will be ridden by Zac Purton from barrier 18, who Williams believes is a more serious weapon for the Melbourne Cup.

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

“Chris Waller is doing remarkable things, he is a wonderful coach, I would sing his praises from the highest roof.

“Buckaroo has a proper shape, but the shape is not three kilometers.

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“I know this horse very well since Joseph O’Brien had him in Ireland. I have known the horse since he was a baby as far as fitness is concerned.

“I really wonder if this horse will go two miles.

“If he can win, I’ll be cheering because owners like Ozzie Kheir and Brae Sokolski deserve it given the amount of money they put into racing.

“Among some of the other horses, Absurde probably has poor prospects, but I don’t think he’s as good as Willie’s (Vauban) other horse.

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

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

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At one point, Williams and co-owner James Packer had Point King as one of the main Melbourne Cup fancies until he was ruled out on the advice of vets following a scan.

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

Williams supports Racing Victoria’s push for further veterinary examination and testing following an untimely spate of deaths at the Melbourne Cup several years ago, but the iconic Cup-winning owner stresses that officials must always ensure they are using the latest analysis technology.

“I took Point King out after a scan. One year in the Melbourne Cup I had seven runners, but this year I don’t have any,” Williams said.

“I think Racing Victoria had to do something because horses were dying during the race.

“The only thing I would say is that to avoid this conflict with people in the racing world, they should always consider upgrading the scanner that they have.

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

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

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

“In an AI world, 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.”