Vauban wasting little time in impressing in Australia

Connections of Vauban are excited at what the future holds after the big-money transfer set up a Tancred Stakes clash with William Haggas’ Dubai Honour when making an impressive debut for his new Australian team.

A Cheltenham Festival hero and dual-purpose star when trained by Willie Mullins, the seven-year-old remained in Australia after a second unsuccessful bid to lift the Melbourne Cup.

He was bought by Australian Bloodstock and joined the decorated training team of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott with half an eye on a third crack at the ‘race which stops a nation’ later in the year.

However, having made a blistering start to his career in the southern hemisphere, defying both a heatwave and the shortest distance he has ever raced over to impress in the Group Three Sky High Stakes at Rosehill, the sky could now be the limit for the 2022 Triumph Hurdle winner.

“We were delighted and with him being a high-profile horse coming from the UK it was great to get off to a winning start,” said Australian Bloodstock’s managing director Jamie Lovett.

“Obviously a mile and a quarter was short of his ideal, but he’s gone and beat a fairly good field.

“It was a relief and when you see them perform like he did it obviously vindicates our opinion of what the horse is and of course you are also delighted for our clients who have backed our opinion. It’s always rewarding when they perform like that.

“Over here we have barrier trials and when he had his trials it pointed towards training him a bit different and sharpening him up a bit, so it didn’t shock me what he was able to do over the 2000 metres (10 furlongs).

“However, I think what did surprise was the fact he was out the back and then ran home in a record time. There’s been a lot of racing at Rosehill over the years and for him to hit a record shows the horse is flying.”

Vauban’s next outing will be back at Rosehill in the Group One Tancred on March 29, but there could be even more exciting options available later in the Australian season.

“He will have to step up again in the Tancred, but the horse certainly looks to be going well,” continued Lovett.

“The goal has always been the Tancred, but it is probably foreign to good horses in Europe and the UK to back them up so quickly. That will more than likely to be the end of his autumn campaign and then we’ll bring him back for the Melbourne Spring Carnival which could obviously include a crack at the Melbourne Cup.

He went on: “I know Gai and Adrian are keen for a crack at the Melbourne Cup, but personally I think we just need to take it a race at a time. I hope we end up with this problem, but if he wins the Tancred he will then be a Group One winner and with his high international rating he would probably nearly take himself out of the Melbourne Cup.

“It would be certainly something we need to discuss but the way he’s going, if he could back up his win in the Sky High in the Tancred then we could always freshen him up and, if you get a wet track for the Queen’s (Queen Elizabeth Stakes), I would love to see him line up in that.

“We know he’s effective at 2000 metres and you never know, he might do something spectacular in a race for that.

“When you have a horse of this quality racing at a very high level internationally, there are plenty of opportunities and to get this horse back winning first time out in Australia opens up plenty of options for us.”