Melbourne Cup favourite Puissance De Lune has time on his side to recover from joint surgery before preparing for the Melbourne Spring Carnival.

Puissance De Lune (grey) dead heats with Budriguez in the Blamey Stakes. Photo by Sarah Ebbett.

Trainer Darren Weir has pencilled in an eight to nine week recovery window before he steps up the grey import’s workload with the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington in November still firmly on the agenda.

“He had around eight to nine weeks before we were going to bring him back into work anyway so we’ve still got plenty of time as long as things go well after the operation,” Weir said.

Pusssiance De Lune was having his first run since a spectacular 5 lengths win in the Group 3 $250,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington on the last day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival when he dead heated with Budriguez in the Group 2 $220,000 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on March 9.

Weir had only planned to five Puissance De Lune one run in the Autumn, give him a break and then prepare for the Spring but was then concerned that he still had heat in his front joint and called the vets in to x-ray the troublesome spot.

Weir notified Racing Victoria stewards yesterday that Puissance De Lune had undergone surgery to remove bone chips from his front joint and that the vets were happy with the results.

“As a precaution we got him x-rayed and we found a couple of little chips in his joints and the vets recommended removing them,” Weir told Racing Victoria yesterday.

“The procedure was completed today and went very successfully. The vet said his racing prospects are great.

“I guess it’s just like a footballer at the end of the season having a bit of a clean up.”

In several Melbourne Cup markets Puissance De Lune is around the $7 mark ahead of last year’s runner-up Fiorante at $17 and English stayer Mount Athos at $18.