Gai Waterhouse | Gai Waterhouse News 60369 Stable Spotlight Vauban A Letter From Gai

VAUBAN - A Letter From Gai

Thu, Nov 14, 2024

(Stable Spotlight) VAUBAN - A Letter From Gai
We are pleased to announce that we have secured VAUBAN for Tulloch Lodge. He is a great chance for our owners to race a horse in the Melbourne Cup, and he is a great chance of winning the 2025 version of our race that stops the nation.


Gai has put pen to paper to explain more:

I am delighted to have secured top-class stayer, VAUBAN. Adrian and I will be setting him for the 2025 Melbourne Cup. Happily, he is fully qualified for next year’s Cup.

Vauban has an outstanding chance as evidenced by his Cup starting favourite (9/2) last year, and second favourite 7/1 this year. Both these Cup starts, he faced difficulties. Firstly, before the two-mile events, he resumed from a 90-day spell and 58-day break, not an optimum Melbourne Cup preparation. 46 runners since 1991 have tried to resume off such a break, and most well in the betting, only three-year-old Cross Counter has won, it is easier to resume for young horses.

Secondly, emerging from six-weeks quarantine on a strange racecourse can distress some horses. VAUBAN didn't seem to enjoy Werribee both years. He was distressed in 2023 by the heat, he was not used to it and was unclipped. Last week, in the mounting enclosure, he was continually throwing his head about. He was only beaten five lengths.

We know also that UK raider, Twilight Payment was well beaten in the 2019 Cup, before winning in 2020. Trained at Flemington by Adrian and my good self, and away from ‘wearisome Werribee’, I know you’ll see a different horse on the 1st Tuesday of November next year. Additionally, we will put a turn-of-foot in his legs.

His UK form is outstanding, his most-recent start was second to champion Kyprios (beaten 2.3 lengths) in the Group One St Leger. His last three-furlong sectional was fabulous. The St Leger is a very strong race. Vintage Crop and Twilight Payment (second) came on this path. The St Leger form has been franked by Kyprios winning his next two starts, the Prix Cadran (Group One) and the Ascot Long Distance Cup. Kyprios is the Champion European stayer and has won his last nine starts in top company. The start before the St Ledger, Vauban won the Group Two Lonsdale Cup over two miles, in fast time.

He handles flat tracks, undulating courses, right and left handed, wet, dry.

And for your reference, VAUBAN's namesake was a wonderful builder of forts.


You can watch Vauban's last two UK races here:

Pleasingly, VAUBAN passed our stringent vetting with flying colours and he has now settled nicely into our Flemington stable ahead of a spell before we prepare him for the Autumn Carnival. Our Autumn target is yet to be decided but we have options given he is a Group winner from 2400m - 3200m.

Pleased too that we have secured him for less than the media have reported, and we are humbled to team up with Australian Bloodstock to race Vauban going forward. That team knows what it takes to win a Cup, twice. Vauban's previous owner Rich Ricci has retained a small share too, and winning with him will be fun!

For more information on how you can join in the ownership in VAUBAN and take you and your family on an exciting journey to the 2025 Melbourne Cup, please contact our bloodstock team:


Keep winning,
Gai & Adrian