Absurde

The trainer behind all of this is Willie Mullins, operating out of Muine Bheag in County Carlow — one of the most powerful yards in the sport, having sent out 220 winners already this season alone. That context matters. Mullins has his pick of serious horses, so the fact that Absurde has been pointed at the biggest races, and won them, says something about the regard he's held in.

On normal ground, Absurde is particularly dangerous — 3 wins from 7 races at 43%, or nearly 1 in every 2. His most recent victory came at Plumpton in April 2025, a Class 2 race where his jockey described it almost in awe: "When you're on a horse with so much class it's easy." That kind of quote doesn't get thrown around lightly. The horse was described as settling beautifully, jumping brilliantly, and doing it all with an air of effortless authority.

Since then, however, Absurde has not won in his last 6 races, a run that includes a trip to Australia for the Melbourne Cup at Flemington — arguably the most famous flat race in the southern hemisphere. He ran honestly there, according to jockey Kerrin McEvoy, picking up well despite a slow early pace, though the result wasn't a winning one. Willie Mullins has since confirmed the horse will be given a break, with no immediate targets in mind.

So where does that leave Absurde? Somewhere genuinely interesting. A horse with two top-level wins, a trainer who thinks the world of him, and a well-earned rest ahead. He's been around the very best races on the calendar — Cheltenham, Chester, the Melbourne Cup — and handled them. When he comes back, it would be a surprise if the ambitions were any smaller.