AU REVOIR VERRY ELLEEGANT

Verry Elleegant to race in France

Verry Elleegant is set to leave Australia and is to head to France, leaving trainer Chris Waller and being transferred to leading french trainer Francis-Henri Graffard in the coming weeks.

On Thursday, a statement released by Wallers stable announced that the reigning Melbourne Cup champion would be heading overseas to to further her racing career.

“She has given us so many great thrills over the years and we are very proud of her. My team all around Australia are responsible for her success and longevity which I thank them for and wish the owners all the very best in her Northern Hemisphere racing campaign.”

Winner of 16 races and almost $15m in stake earnings, Verry Elleegant’s crowning glory came in last year’s Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) with a stirring victory on the first Tuesday in November.

In Thursday’s joint announcement, the six-year-old mare’s ownership group said the decision to embark on a European campaign was made following lengthy deliberation.

“Being part of a champion racehorse is not just an enormous privilege but also a huge responsibility,” the statement read.

“As the owners of Verry Elleegant we take this responsibility very seriously and in the last couple of weeks have been giving further thought to what constitutes the right plan for our beautiful mare.

“After much deliberation we came to the realisation that if we want to campaign her in Europe, we need to do it properly and send her to be trained in the northern hemisphere.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank Chris Waller and his team for the outstanding job they’ve done with Verry Elleegant.”

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