Cox Plate Betting Drift For Puissance De Lune

There has been a slight drift in 2013 Cox Plate betting markets for Puissance De Lune but trainer Darren Weir remains confident that he has the imported stayer in the right order for the Group 1 event at Moonee Valley tomorrow afternoon.

Puissance De Lune is chasing his first win since he started his campaign with a victory in the P.B. Lawrence Stakes.

Puissance De Lune is chasing his first win since he started his campaign with a victory in the P.B. Lawrence Stakes. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia

As support continues to come for It’s A Dundeel and Long John, both Puissance De Lune ($4.20 out to $4.60) and Gai Waterhouse-trained Fiorente ($4.60 to $5.50) have been friendless and have continued to drift after battling It’s A Dundeel for favoritism earlier in the week.

Weir is not worried about the Cox Plate betting drift and told Racing Ahead this morning that he could not be happier with the fitness of Puissance De Lune and believes everything has gone to plan heading into the Group 1 Australasian Weight-For-Age Championship.

“The Cox Plate and then on to the Melbourne Cup has been the plan all along and we are confident that we have him in the right order,” Weir said.

“He has had a great preparation, he is a really fit horse and everything has worked out quiet well.

“He has had a lot of work and we have been able to get a lot of work into him as well.

“I’m sure that if he gets a good run from a reasonable gate he is going to be somewhere about them and if he doesn’t measure up it won’t be because of fitness.”

While Puissance De Lune has had a problem-free preparation, Weir had an issue thrown his way when the entire’s regular jockey Glen Boss was suspended for careless riding on Silent Achiever in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).

Ben Melham has been selected as the replacement for Boss and Weir said that the Group 1 winning jockey partnered the son of Shamardal for the first time at Warrnambool earlier this week.

“Ben came down to Mornington and we just let him stride over a good strong half mile and the horse worked well and Ben said he worked well,” Weir said.

“It was good for Ben to get a bit of a feeling.”

Another reason for Puissance De Lune’s Cox Plate betting drift could be the face that he will be making his debut at Moonee Valley, unlike other leading contenders It’s A Dundeel and Fiorente who both have experience at the track, but Weir is confident that the tight-turning circuit won’t be a issue for the long-striding stayer.

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” Weir said.

“He had that mile trial there last Thursday and Glen said that the ground was great for him and getting around Moonee Valley was no problem.”

Puissance De Lune will be Weir’s first ever runner in the Cox Plate and Melham will also be making his debut in the time-honored race.

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.