High-class hurdler Vauban showed his class and versatility when a runaway winner of the concluding Copper Horse Handicap on day one of Royal Ascot leaving connections purring at a tilt down under.
Susannah Ricci's multiple Grade 1-winning hurdler looked potentially well-handicapped off a mark of 101 and that certainly proved the case as he powered to an empathic all-the-way seven-and-a-half-length victory.
Absurde made up plenty of late ground under Frankie Dettori to nab the second spot making it a one-two for Willie Mullins, while Cemhaan defied his 66/1 starting price back in third for George Baker.
Willie Mullins said: "Ryan had to go to Plan B, and it worked very well. He was very brave – he felt that there wasn't enough pace, so he said 'I'm going to make the running here' and he did and stacked them up behind him. Then he just loosened it out for the last six furlongs, and you could see him winding it up, winding it up. That's the measure of what Ryan is able to do - he's able to change his mind. When he saw what was happening in the first furlong, he said, right, Plan B, and got it right."
It was a third success on the day for leading rider Ryan Moore, who added: "I didn't expect to be in front, but I got him out [of the stalls] okay and nobody else wanted to be in front. They told me he stays very well and I felt I had to keep building the pace. He got into a good rhythm and stretched all the way to the line.
"He's a very smart horse. He won a Listed race on the Flat in France and he was in a handicap here, and he's done what he's done jumping. I'd say today was a bit of a shock to him making the running, but he got the job done very well."
Owner Rich Ricci said: "I know Willie thinks the world of this horse. We did not quite have it with him this hurdling season – it is hard to come back as a five-year-old – but he is a lovely horse. I was wondering if Willie was working back from the Melbourne Cup rather than the Champion Hurdle!"
