Trainer Darren Weir will ease up on his stable star Puissance De Lune, ruling the French import out of any further Spring Carnival feature races following his unplaced effort in the Group 1 $500,000 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington last Saturday.
Puissance De Lune has had his Spring cut short after pulling up sore after the Turnbull Stakes. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Weir has joined a long list of trainers unhappy with the hard Melbourne surfaces and blamed the hard track conditions for Puissance De Lune failing to stretch out when two and three quarter lengths fourth to Lucia Valentina on the weekend.
“He’s really jarred-up after Saturday. I’m just going to watch him for a week but put it this way, he won’t be running in any more big races this spring,” Weir told Racing Network.
“Puissance De Lune was in the right place to pounce on Saturday but he wouldn’t let go on that ground.”
“I honestly don’t know when he’ll run again.
“I’ll just have to see how he is before we make any plans.”
“They need to put more water on track.”
“He’s pulled-up a bit sore, he jarred a little bit; he felt the firmness of the track.”
Weir is also blaming the hard surface why May’s Dream also jarred up but said that the New Approach mare would recover to race on.
“May’s Dream is another,” Weir said.
“She’ll be okay, but she was jarred-up and had some heat in her joints.”.
Leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller has also joined the chorus with Weir, and other prominent Melbourne trainers against the hard Melbourne tracks, giving that as the reason for some below par performances from some of his stable runners in the southern capital.
“The tracks do get very firm down there. They have outstanding curators, possibly too good,’’ Waller told TVN.
“They dry out almost too much. Jockeys can’t be coming back saying the tracks are too hard.
“The punters are a lot worse off if the tracks are too firm. Let’s stop arguing down there each week and get it right.’’
Puissance De Lune was on his way towards the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 25 and had been placed at Group 1 level at his two previous start.
The Shamardal seven year old finished third behind Dissident and Sweet Idea in the Group 1 $400,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 30 then was third again behind Dissident and Fawkner in the Group 1 $400,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 13.
Puissance De Lune is currently rated a $26 for the Cox Plate with Ladbrokes.com.au who have Fawkner the reigning favourite at $7 just ahead of Chris Waller’s Sacred Falls at $8 and Dissident at $9.
