Vauban eyes Melbourne Cup via Queen Elizabeth
SYDNEY Tulloch Lodge trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott are playing the long game with high-class stayer Vauban, with their decision to start him in the A$5 million (S$4.05 million) Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2,000m) all part of a considered plan to give him the best possible foundation for a Melbourne Cup campaign.
Bott confirmed that the Galiway seven-year-old would take his place in the Australian Turf Club's Queen Elizabeth Stakes to be held at Randwick racecourse, Sydney on April 12.
This would set up a tantalising clash with 2024 Group 1 Cox Plate (2,040m) winner and star mare Via Sistina, 2025 Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2,400m) winner Dubai Honour and dual Group 1 winner Ceolwulf.
Connections had been open to both the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3,200m), but with another Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3,200m) bid in their sights for the spring, Bott said the middle-distance race appealed as the better option.
"We were open to both," he said.
"We know he can run two miles but we have also seen he can be effective over these shorter trips.
"We're also trying to prepare him for two miles down the track and I don't mind the idea of trying to get him competitive at this weight-for-age racing first."
Known as the race that stops a nation and is also watched globally, the Melbourne Cup is always run on the first Tuesday of November, which falls on Nov 4 this year.
Formerly trained in Europe by Irish trainer William Mullins, Vauban has run in the gruelling handicap race twice previously, but was unplaced on both occasions.
The chestnut galloper ran 14th behind Without A Fight on Nov 7, 2023 and finished 11th behind Knight's Choice on Nov 5, 2024.
However, Vauban has been in tremendous form since staying in Australia to join the Waterhouse-Bott team at the end of spring.
He surged late to win the Group 3 Sky High Stakes (2,000m) first-up on March 15, and finished a gallant third behind Dubai Honour and Duke De Sessa in the Tancred Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on April 1.
Bott has no qualms about the 400m drop back in distance into the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and is excited to be saddling a competitive chance in one of the drawcard races of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
"It's great being there and it's exciting to have him being part of it," said Bott.
"He is well and truly capable of being competitive there.
"Most importantly, he came out of his last run really well. Even though he didn't win, there were some improvements we saw out of it off the back of his first-up win.
"It's not easy going to that weight-for-age level and he's got to step up again to go to the Queen Elizabeth, but I think it's a nice race for him." SKY RACING WORLD
