Les Vampires has secured a spot in the $3 million Big Dance on Melbourne Cup Day, thanks to a dominant win in the Gosford Gold Cup.

Co-trainer Adrian Bott confirmed that Saturday’s victory is likely to be the gelding’s final race of the preparation as they focus on bigger stakes races this spring. “We’ve got the ticket to the Big Dance and he is pretty deep into the campaign, so we’ll be working back from having that feature in his program next time in,” Bott said.

The four-year-old, who placed in the 2024 Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m), missed last spring due to throat surgery but has been in consistent form since returning. His Gosford Gold Cup win was his first at Listed level, 33 years after co-trainer Gai Waterhouse’s first black-type success in the same race.

Bott praised Les Vampires as a “progressive type” and highlighted his strong finish, despite pressure from Rachel King aboard Touristic. The gelding won by 1-1/4 lengths at $2.90, with Etna Rosso ($13) second and Mr Waterville ($51) third.

Jockey Winona Costin, who was thrilled with the performance, said, “He had nice acceleration and I was able to kick up and hold it out and keep momentum going all the way to the line.”

Les Vampires’ win has opened up more opportunities for the promising horse, with the Big Dance now firmly in his sights.