Vanbrugh will head to the 2015 Spring Champion Stakes at Royal Randwick in a fortnight after he recorded an impressive victory in the 2015 Gloaming Stakes at Rosehill Gardens this afternoon.
Vanbrugh will start the Spring Champion Stakes as one of the favourites after he took out the Gloaming Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart
Vanbrugh was stepping up to 1800 metres for the first time in his racing career and he was given a lovely run in transit by jockey Hugh Bowman before he quickly put paid to his rivals when he was asked for an extra effort to record a very comfortable victory.
Trainer Chris Waller confirmed that Vanbrugh will head to the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on October 10 and the leading trainer is thrilled that the Encosta De Lago colt has been able to return to his best form after making a slow start to his preparation.
“It was good,” Waller said.
“He went missing a little bit at the start of the preparation, we thought he might have been a Golden Rose horse, but that was pretty quickly expelled when he got beaten as a short-priced favourite at Canterbury.
“We just put it down to wet tracks and now that the tracks have improved his form has come good.
“It was a good strong win last start against the older horses and he backed it up again today.
“He is a good type.
“There is nothing better than going into a Group 1 race full of form.”
Bowman was very happy with the Gloaming Stakes performance of Vanbrugh and he believes that the three-year-old will prove very tough to beat in the Spring Champion Stakes, while he added that he feels that the colt has the ability to run out an even greater staying trip and could prove to be the right type of horse for the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2400m) that will be held at Flemington on October 31.
“He really enjoys the trip,” Bowman said.
“I don’t want to get too carried away, but he feels to me like a VRC Derby horse all over.
“He just has a beautiful nature and he has the Chris Waller polish.
“The stable is going particularly well and he places his horses beautifully.
“I can’t see any reason why he can’t ask the horse to take the next step.”
Waller is chasing his first win in the Spring Champion Stakes after missing the placings with Vilanova in the 2013 edition of the race.
