Vautour (horse)

Vautour
Vautour at the 2014 Cheltenham Festival.
Sire	Robin des Champs
Grandsire	Garde Royale
Dam	Gazelle de Mai
Damsire	Dom Pasquini
Sex	Gelding
Foaled	19 May 2009
Country	France
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Haras de Saint Voir & Patrick Joubert
Owner	Haras de Saint Voir & Patrick Joubert Susannah Ricci
Trainer	Guillaume Macaire Willie Mullins
Record	16: 10-5-0 9:5-3-0 (Chases) 7:5-2-0 (Hurdles)
Earnings	£568,187
Major wins
Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle (2014) Deloitte Novice Hurdle (2014) Supreme Novices' Hurdle (2014) Tattersalls Champion Novice Hurdle (2014) Killiney Novice Chase (2015) JLT Novices' Chase (2015) 1965 Chase (2015) Ryanair Chase (2016)
Last updated on 8 April 2016

Vautour (19 May 2009 – 6 November 2016) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing and won three times at the Cheltenham Festival. After beginning his racing career in France he moved to Ireland and made an immediate impact over hurdles in the spring of 2014 winning the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle, Deloitte Novice Hurdle, Supreme Novices' Hurdle and Tattersalls Champion Novice Hurdle.

When moved up to compete in steeplechases he added wins in the Killiney Novice Chase, JLT Novices' Chase, 1965 Chase and Ryanair Chase as well as finishing a close second in the King George VI Chase. He died after a paddock accident on 6 November 2016 at the age of seven.

Vautour was a bay gelding with a white blaze and white socks on his front feet bred in France by Haras De Saint Voir & Patrick Joubert. He was sired by the French stallion Robin des Champs, whose other progeny include Quevega and Sir Des Champs.

On his racecourse debut, Vautour contested a hurdle race for three-year-olds at Pau in December 2012 in which he finished second to Vizir d'Estruvel. At Auteuil Hippodrome in March, he again finished second, beaten six lengths by Black River. At the end of the season, Vautour was bought by Rich and Susannah Ricci and sent to Ireland to be trained by Willie Mullins.