Trainer Michael Moroney has revealed that Voleuse De Coeurs is no certainty to contest the 2014 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.
Voleuse De Coeurs will return to the races in either the Makybe Diva Stakes or the Underwood Stakes.
Voleuse De Coeurs was included in the Makybe Diva Stakes nominations that were released yesterday, but Moroney told RSN this morning that he would wait until tomorrow morning before he decides whether to run the Teofilo mare in the Group 1 event.
Moroney said that he is worried that Voleuse De Coeurs will be too dour to be competitive over a mile in the Makybe Diva Stakes and could save the five-year-old for the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield next weekend.
“We are about to gallop her shortly on the course proper and we just want to get a line on how she works before we decide whether to run her over a mile or wait until the following Saturday and run her over 1800,” Moroney said.
“She is a mare that has her best performances going further than a mile and we will just make a decision during the week.
“She is very dour.
“We went fresh into the Australian Cup last time and she ran as well as she could have anywhere in the world and she was a length off Fiorente in a weight-for-age 2000 metres race.
“She sort of takes 2000 metres first-up to be competitive.
“That is just her and we need to deal with that fact and make sure that we don’t overtax her over shorter distances because it does take her out of her comfort zone.”
Voleuse De Coeurs has not been seen at the races since she finished a disappointing 12th behind The Offer in the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) at Royal Randwick on April 19, but Moroney believes that she has taken plenty of benefit out of her stint in the spelling paddock and is in good condition ahead of her spring campaign.
“She went to the paddock without any issues, other than the fact that she was a bit tired.
“Between the spring and the autumn with all the travelling she had done from Ireland it was a little bit tough on her, but she is well spelled now and come back looking really well.
“She has definitely acclimatized, she come back with a winter coat and she is shedding that now.
“She is not quite as heavy as she was last time in, but she still looks really well.”
Voleuse De Coeurs is currently available at 2014 Makybe Diva Stakes odds of $51 in the betting market with Ladbrokes Australia.
