Trainer Mike Moroney has revealed that the Group 1 The BMW (2400m) will be the major target for imported stayer Voleuse De Coeurs during the 2014 Autumn Racing Carnival.
Voleuse De Coeurs made her Australian racing debut with a tenth place finish behind Fiorente in the Melbourne Cup and could face the classy stayer in the Australian Cup this autumn. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Voleuse De Coeurs was purchased by Eliza Park International and transferred to the stable of Moroney after she won the Group 1 Irish St Leger (2816m) at Curragh in September and was brought to Australia for the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).
The Teofilo mare was well supported and worked home solidly to sneak into the prizemoney in ‘the race that stops a nation’; with connections receiving $125,000 for her tenth place finish eight lengths behind Fiorente.
Voleuse De Coeurs was sent straight to the spelling paddock after running in the Melbourne Cup and will return to work next week to begin preparations for an autumn campaign that is set to include starts in both Melbourne and Sydney.
Moroney told Racing Victoria that the classy mare would begin her autumn preparation in either the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) or Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 8 before heading to Sydney for The BMW at Rosehill Gardens on April 5.
“She’s still out in the paddock but she comes back into work next week and she seems good,” Moroney said.
“She was putting on weight while we had her in work and has continued to do so in the paddock.
“She’s done really well.”
Voleuse De Coeurs was prepared by Melbourne Cup winning trainer Dermot Weld in Ireland and slowly progressed through the grades before breaking through for two black type race wins during the 2013 racing season.
She started her season with a second place finish behind El Salvador in the Summer Twilight Night Races Handicap (2514m) at Limerick before recording a comfortable two lengths victory over Missunited in the Listed Vintage Crop Stakes (2816m).
The four-year-old made her group debut with a fair performance behind Ernest Hemingway in the Group 3 Curragh Cup (2816m) and suffered a narrow defeat to Johnny Murtagh-trained Royal Diamond in the Group 3 Irish St Leger Trial Stakes (2816m).
Voleuse De Coeurs went into the Irish St Leger on the sixth line of betting but produced a dominant staying performance to race away from the rest of the field, which included Godolpin staying star Ahzeemah and Melbourne Cup runner-up Red Cadeaux.
Moroney is chasing his first victory in The BMW after finishing third in the 2012 edition of the race with another imported stayer Drunken Sailor.
