Royal Ascot and Cheltenham Festival winner Vauban is set to remain in Australia having been purchased by Australian Bloodstock, in partnership with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, for a fee in the region of AU$2m (£1.02m).
A three-time Grade One winner over obstacles a couple of years ago, including a Cheltenham Festival success in the Triumph Hurdle, the six-year-old reverted to the Flat last season and landed the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot and the Group Three Ballyroan Stakes at Naas.
He disappointed as favourite for last year’s Melbourne Cup, but having returned to form this term with a Group Two victory in the Lonsdale Cup before chasing home star stayer Kyprios in the Irish St Leger, hopes were high ahead of his return to Flemington earlier this month. However, he was again well beaten, this time finishing 11th under William Buick.
Mullins recently suggested Vauban could develop into a Stayers’ Hurdle contender, but it has now emerged he will remain in the southern hemisphere to be trained by Waterhouse and Bott, with a third crack at the ‘race that stops the nation’ on the cards.
Vauban sprints clear to win the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot
Speaking on Nick Luck’s Daily Podcast, Australian Bloodstock’s managing director Jamie Lovett said: “We’re obviously delighted to be teaming up with Gai. Gai was very keen on the horse and the horse obviously speaks for himself.
“We just had the opportunity to team up with Gai and Adrian Bott on this particular horse and he’s not one that is hard to identify.
“I’ve always been very forgiving of any horses that come down and don’t always perform off the aircraft, it’s not easy to do. We’re just hoping we can have him return to his form that he showed in the northern hemisphere last season and we’re excited to see what lays ahead.
“The Melbourne Cup is obviously the goal. He’s had two tries at it, so he’s going to have to defy history to do it third time around, but we feel very confident that he’s the right horse.”