Australian racing queen Gai Waterhouse is hoping to win the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday for the second time with former Irish runner Vauban.
The iconic Sydney horse trainer, along with co-trainer Adrian Bott, took Vauban’s reins from Irish trainer Willie Mullins after Australian Bloodstock bought the former stayer last year.
The former Irish galloper would become the first horse since 1988 to pass the post in first place in a third attempt at the race that stops a nation.
Speaking to The Herald Sun, Waterhouse said Vauban had travelled to Flemington twice and has been the favourite on both occasions.
“He’s got the ability — it’s a matter of him putting his best foot forward,” she said.
“He’s a bit like the girl with a curl — you never know which side of the bed he’s going to get out of.”
Waterhouse said he was an “unusual” gelding with lots of personality.
“He’s very capable of running a very big race,” she said.
Giving a private tour of her Flemington stable on Sunday, Waterhouse has prepared to replicate her 2013 triumph with Fiorente – her first and last Melbourne Cup win so far.
Waterhouse told the masthead she was filled with excitement at the thought of winning a second time.
However, she said she was happy to simply attend the occasion which brought Australians together.
“People get very excited, they live the dream for many months leading up to the Cup,” she said.
“All the other races lead up to this wonderful, first Tuesday in November and even if you’re not a horse person you can’t help but like what the Australians, the Victorians do.”
Vauban’s former trainer, Mullins, raced the gelding in consecutive 2023 and 2024 Melbourne Cups as a favourite, but unsaddled the galloper unplaced both times.
In October, Waterhouse said Vauban had his “knickers in a twist” when he came to Australia from Ireland, and that she was “delighted” to have trained him up.
“I’m delighted (we’ve done a) stack of work getting him to accept the barriers and be more relaxed,” Waterhouse told The Australian.
“He’ll never be perfect, that’s him, he’s an older horse but he’s a lovely, lovely gelding … he wants to go to the races (now).”
