Superstar racehorse Verry Elleegant will head to France, ending a lengthy relationship with trainer Chris Waller.
Just a fortnight after Waller had revealed the 11-time Group 1 winner would not head overseas to compete in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, news broke on Thursday night that owners had made the decision to move overseas on a permanent basis.
A statement released by Waller on social media confirmed the split after over three years together.
"It has been an honour to have trained Verry Elleegant for a major part of her career," Waller said.
"She has given us so many great thrills over a number of years and we are very proud of her.
"My team around Australia are all responsible for her success and longevity which I thank them for and wish the owners all the very best in her Northern Hemisphere race campaign."
Waller also released a lengthy statement from the owners in the same post, which revealed the reasons for the shift overseas to contend in 2400m+ staying races that she would likely be weighted out of on Australian soil, as well as thanking Waller and his team for their efforts.
"We know she is a world class stayer who needs 2400m+ to show her true ability, but we expect her be weighted out of the Cups and as such there are limited options for her domestically," their statement read.
"After much deliberation we came to the realisation that if we want to campaign her in Europe, we need to do it properly and send her to be trained and prepared in the northern hemisphere
"As such we wish to advise that Verry Elleegant will be transferred to the care of leading French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard and trained out of the world class facilities at Chantilly.
"Although transportation arrangements are still being finalised, she will finish her spell next week and subject to flight availability will fly out anytime from that point forward.
"Bringing her to Europe early opens up a number of new possibilities, one of which is running in the Arc, however we will just keep an open mind on her program until deeper in her preparation with Francis."
Please see below a Verry Elleegant update from the ownership group. pic.twitter.com/M4uc05yVWD
— Chris Waller Racing (@cwallerracing) May 12, 2022
On the surface, it appears that her owners and Waller had a major difference in opinion regarding the Arc, which has seen the relationship end abruptly.
"This is a massive story."
— Racing.com (@Racing) May 12, 2022
Verry Elleegant is off to a new stable! 😮🇫🇷 @JaseRicho @brentzerafa pic.twitter.com/N3Q3EAD5yc
Verry Elleegant will now be trained by French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard.
She will head overseas for her seven-year-old season boasting an impressive record here in Australia, that included both the 2020 Caulfield Cup and 2021 Melbourne Cup.