Melbourne Cup Favourite Impresses During Flemington Gallop

Vauban impresses at Flemington track gallop

Vauban’s Tuesday morning Gallop even left rival trainer Mick Price stunned as he saw the Melbourne Cup favourite hammer down the Flemington straight in preparation for the big race next week. 

"There will be no horse that will do more work and he had a bit of a sweat coming back into the mounting yard, as you would, it was like SAS out there," Price, who was at Flemington to watch his Melbourne Cup hope Lastotchka, said.

"I felt tired looking at it."

 Mullins’ Melbourne Cup hopeful arrived at Werribee Quarantine Centre earlier this month and is yet to race in Australia with the Irish trainer preferring for Vauban to have multiple gallops in preparation for his main assignment. 

Vauban, who qualified for the Melbourne Cup after winning a Group Three contest in Ireland, has been at the top of Melbourne Cup betting since June when he demolished a strong field over 2816m at Royal Ascot by 7 lengths. 

Assistant trainer to Mullins, Dave Casey rode Vauban at trackwork on Tuesday and confirmed that Vauban had thrived since arriving in Melbourne earlier in the month. 

Many international runners when they arrive down under struggle to maintain weight however Vauban appears to have been the opposite with the stable struggling to keep his weight down.

"It was a job getting weight off him because he'd put it on so quickly when he came," Casey said.

International jockey Ryan Moore has been named as the pilot of Vauban for this years Melbourne Cup. The English jockey has won the Melbourne Cup before when he won the race aboard German runner Protectionist in 2014. 

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