'The Melbourne Cup is the goal' - Vauban to stay in Australia after Rich Ricci sells star for A$2 million

A return to the Melbourne Cup is back on Vauban's agenda after the Willie Mullins-trained stayer was purchased by Australian Bloodstock in partnership with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for around A$2 million (£1.02m/€1.22m).

Vauban will now stay in Australia to be trained by Waterhouse and Bott, with early expectations that he could be targeted at a third Melbourne Cup.

Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett confirmed the purchase of the Rich Ricci-owned star on Wednesday.

Vauban had been expected to run well in the past two Melbourne Cups but disappointed both times with his 14th place last year followed by an 11th place at Flemington last week.

The 2022 Triumph Hurdle winner had been set to return to Ireland with Mullins considering a hurdling campaign culminating in a Stayers' Hurdle bid, but he will instead be sent for a spell in New South Wales before joining the Waterhouse-Bott stable.

Vauban: has finished down the field in the last two Melbourne CupsCredit: Vince Caligiuri

A winner of eight of his 21 starts, with five on the Flat and three over hurdles, Vauban went to Melbourne on the back of a second to top stayer Kyprios in the Group 1 Irish St Leger at the Curragh.

"He was an obvious horse for down here and we had the opportunity to team up with Gai and Adrian and he's not one that is hard to identify," Lovett told the Nick Luck Daily podcast.

"I've always been very forgiving of any horse that comes down and doesn't always perform off the aircraft as it's not easy to do. We're just hoping we can have him return to the form he showed in the northern hemisphere last season and we're excited to see what lies ahead.

"Willie placed him beautifully up there last season and he's a high-quality horse, but he arrives here as a Group 2 winner. So even in the handicaps, he could show up in a number of races in the Sydney autumn, and then the Melbourne Cup is the goal. He's had two tries at it, so he's going have to defy history third time around, but we feel very confident he's the right horse."

Vauban’s sale comes less than 48 hours after Ricci put himself in line for a multi-million-pound payout from his stake in Aquis, a challenger stock exchange on which the likes of Newbury racecourse are listed.

Ricci, a former Barclays investment banker who earned £44m when leaving the firm in 2013, owns 7.8 per cent of Aquis, meaning he is set to scoop £15.5m from the £194m sale to Swiss-based firm Six Swiss Exchange Group.

After leaving Barclays, Ricci became a technology investor and was executive chairman of the bookmaker BetBright. Since January, he has been chief executive of investment bank Panmure Liberum.

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Willie Mullins 'disappointed' after Vauban fails to fire at Flemington again - but trainer refuses to give up on Melbourne Cup dream 

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