Puissance de Lune showed why he is fancied by so many to win this year’s Melbourne Cup with a sensational last-to-first victory in Saturday’s $220,000 Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.
Ridden quietly at the rear of the field by Glen Boss, the Darren Weir-trained Puissance de Lune was still last at the 400-metre mark.
Boss wove a passage through the field and Puissance de Lune cruised to victory with a typically flamboyant Boss able to pose for photos on the line.
“That was great, he (Boss) rode him well,” Weir said.
“The plan was to go back and be strong late. The horse went great.”
Puissance de Lune ($3.50) defeated early leader Ajeeb ($7.50) by three-quarters of a length with Bletchingly Stakes winner Second Effort ($7.50) a further long neck away in third.
Puissance de Lune ran his final 600 metres in 35.4 and his final 200 metres in 11.91. Apart from him, only Second Effort was able to break 36 seconds for his final 600 metres (Second Effort ran 35.70).
Puissance de Lune’s owner Gerry Ryan reiterated post-race that the Cox Plate en route to the Melbourne Cup remained the spring aim for the six-year-old.
“There are a few races between now and then,” Ryan cautioned.
Weir adopted a similar “wait and see” approach when asked where the son of Sharmardal would have his next run.
“We just want to see how he pulls up but you’d think (with) the ease in which he did it, he should go home, have a wade at the beach and be a really happy horse,” Weir said.
Puissance de Lune is a $6 chance in early market to win the Melbourne Cup. Should Puissance de Lune win this year’s Melbourne Cup he will be the first horse to contest the Lawrence Stakes (formerly known as the Liston Stakes) and win Australia’s premier 3200-metre race since another grey galloper in Subzero (1992). No horse has completed the Liston/Lawrence-Melbourne Cup double.
Puissance de Lune has raced 14 times for eight wins, three placings and $614,495.
– TVN
