Ryan eyeing off next year’s Melbourne Cup with Puissance De Lune

Melbourne Cup winning owner Gerry Ryan has his eyes set on another victory in Australia’s greatest race after his new staying star Puissance De Lune scored a stunning win at Flemington last Saturday.

Puissance De Lune

Puissance De Lune is set to target the 2013 Melbourne Cup. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia

Ryan has found an immediate replacement for the 2010 Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) winner Americain with his French import Puissance De Lune after the five year old was in a race of his own when a five lengths winner in the Group 3 $250,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m).

Winning jockey Glen Boss started celebrating the win at the 100m when he realised that the rest of the field were a mile back and declared after the race that Puissance De Lune would win next year’s Melbourne Cup.

“You have just seen next year’s Cup winner,” Boss said.

And the reaction from bookmakers was the same with the Darren Weir trained entire being installed the $8 favourite for the 2013 Melbourne Cup.

Ryan decided to retire Americain after contesting his third Melbourne Cup after finishing eleventh to Green Moon this year following last year’s unlucky fourth to Dunaden as well as his win in 2010.

Ryan originally bought Puissance for $120,000 last year with the intention of winning his home town Bendigo Cup and after a lot of hard work from Weir to re-educate the barrier rogue, romped in the Listed $250,000 2400m Bendigo Cup on October 31 by eight lengths.

“Darren Weir took him right back to basics, re-educated him and sorted him out,” Ryan said.

“And he has blossomed with beach work at Warrnambool.”

“He now is a horse with so much ahead of him which none of us foresaw.”

Ryan and Weir went to Flemington on Saturday with a good chance of winning a top class Group 3 race and left the course dreaming of next year’s Melbourne Cup after Puissance De Lune produced one of the most sensationaal wins of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

“The dream might be alive again here. He surprised at Bendigo and he did again today” Weir said after the Queen Elizabeth.

“We could not have imagined he would do what he has done,” Weir said.

“At his last two starts he has been an amazingly super fit horse and super sound. It is hard to get both of these things right.

“We just hope this time next year we can get him in the same order. Gerry and his wife Val and I have only one race in mind now.”

Ryan and Weir have already planned a light Autumn carnival campaign before giving Puissance De Lune a short spell and preparing for the Melbourne Cup in November.

“He has passed all the ballot conditions and we expect he now would get 53kg from Greg Carpenter (Racing Victoria handicapper),” Ryan said.

“We will have to make sure that we avoid races that will get him a penalty – and just hope he comes back from his spell in the same form.”

The Group 2 $220,000 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on March 9 has been pencilled in for Puissance De Lune with the Group 3 $150,000 Easter Cup (2000m) at Caulfield on March 30 also an Autumn possibility.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.