Owner Rich Ricci is eyeing up another shot at the Melbourne Cup with Vauban following his effort in the Group 1 Gold Cup at Ascot.
Vauban, the Willie Mullins-trained classy dual-purpose horse finished out of the placings as race favourite with betting apps in the Melbourne Cup last year but following his pleasing four-placed effort in the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup on Thursday, connections are bidding for redemption.
“It’s a wonderful experience to have a runner here in the big race,” owner Rich Ricci said of the 4000m Royal Ascot feature won for the second time by the Aidan O’Brien-trained Kyprios ($2.05).
“It’s clear to everybody now he didn’t stay. He came to win the race and I was getting jiggy when I was listening to the race and I heard them turn for home. He was right in the mix and I turned round to watch and his run just petered out,” he added
“That’s fine and Melbourne is still the plan.”
Vauban ($6.50) finished 13th in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) in November and could join stablemate Belloccio on an Australian trip after the six year-old gelding took out the Cooper Horse Handicap (2800m) on Tuesday.
“I would love to win the Melbourne Cup 2024 – and our friends from the Victoria Racing Club are here,” Ricci said.
“We’ll probably run somewhere again in the summer, then we’ll be ready to rock and roll I think.”