Vauban repeats Sky High Stakes success with dominant display
On the home turn, Vauban seemed hemmed in before his outstanding staying power came to the fore, enabling him to surge ahead and take out the Group 3 $350,000 Sky High Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill Gardens this Saturday.
This once-Irish jumper, nearing his ninth birthday, demonstrated he's far from finished by rallying stoutly when asked for effort to secure a second straight triumph in the Sky High Stakes.
"Vauban's such a remarkable horse, he really is,'' said Adrian Bott, who trains in partnership with Gai Waterhouse.
"Australia has really got behind him and so has the ownership group. He's been a great ride for them. He's here on the back of a Melbourne Cup campaign and he looks as good as ever.
"I'm really proud of the horse and hopefully he is set for a nice preparation. He gives you such tremendous satisfaction this horse."
Mounted by Tim Clark, Vauban ($3.40) made history as the first dual victor of the Sky High Stakes, edging Soul Of Spain ($3.80) by a length with Just Fine ($10) the same margin adrift in third.
Favourite Wootton Verni ($2.80) had all the favours in the race but tired noticeably to cross the line only fifth.
According to Clark, Vauban "feels like a spring three-year-old.''
"I just think the last couple of weeks he's really blossomed, he's got that spring in his step, he's shown that in a couple of his bits of his work of late,'' Clark said.
"Once I was able to get to the position I got to early in the race I was pretty confident from that point onwards. I thought he let down really well and he's started his prep off in good style.
"I think that was a better win than this time last year, so hopefully he's in for another good preparation."
Next up for Vauban, as per Bott, is the Group 1 $1.5 million Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill in two weeks' time, building towards a fourth Melbourne Cup challenge for the gelding.
In the 2023 Melbourne Cup, Vauban was 14th to Without A Fight, then 11th to Knights Choice the following year with Willie Mullins in charge.
Waterhouse and Bott inherited the nine-year-old last season, steering him to sixth behind Half Yours in the Melbourne Cup.
"I'm not sure about the Sydney Cup this autumn but we will definitely go for the Melbourne Cup again,'' Bott said.
"I would like to go through the Tancred like we did last year. Arguably he's come back better this year and it looks to be a lovely race for him.
"He's obviously going to be better suited as he gets deeper into the preparation, over a little bit further as well. We might also look at Brisbane, too."
Clark reckons the Tancred Stakes from last year, beaten third by Dubai Honour, slipped through Vauban's grasp.
"A little bit of unfinished business in a couple of weeks time, in the Tancred,'' Clark said.
"It just went a little bit wrong last year, it might have been one that got away. So, hopefully in two weeks time we can redeem ourselves."
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