Boss to take his seat on Jet Away
However, while Glen Boss will be understandably elated at picking up the Jet Away mount in the French stallion’s absence, the import’s trainer has placed strict criteria on any plans going forward after the Mackinnon Stakes.
David Hayes who, like so many, rated Jet Away’s performance to finish fourth in the Caulfield Cup as extraordinary, has told Boss that unless the horse wins or is very unlucky in the weight-for-age event, a Melbourne Cup start will be off the agenda.
”If he wins or runs a very, very good race, then we will head for the Cup.”
”But I have told Glen the plan is that if the horse can’t produce what we want next week, the Melbourne Cup will not be an option.
”But there are a lot of great races that will suit him. We may even go to Perth for the Railway Stakes as that’s worth a lot of money and he would handle the 1600 metres perfectly,” Hayes said.
Boss, who just on a year ago began his association with Puissance De Lune when the stayer careered away with the Bendigo Cup, will replace Damien Oliver on Jet Away after the horse appeared to bolt on the jockey during the running of the Caulfield Cup. However Oliver is now in the prime position to make a remarkable comeback from disqualification to winning this year’s Melbourne Cup on Fiorente.
Oliver had talks with trainer Gai Waterhouse just half an hour after the imported stayer shot to favouritism for the $6 million Melbourne Cup, following a brilliant Cup trial in Saturday’s Cox Plate.
Waterhouse said that Oliver was impressed with the import after he watched the race at home on television.
After being the public elect in markets across Australia for the past 10 months, long-time Melbourne Cup favourite Puissance De Lune will be scratched from this year’s race after injuring himself in Saturday’s Cox Plate.
Imported from France 15 months ago, Puissance De Lune will on Monday morning have his injured off foreleg assessed in Ballarat to decide his racing future.
It’s understood that if the injury is treatable the six-year-old stallion will return in the autumn.
But if veterinary surgeons feel that the leg injury will be a long-term issue, the horse will be immediately retired to stud.
Puissance De Lune’s breeding profile at this stage still lacks a group 1 win.
The Warrnambool-trained stayer has gone agonisingly close twice to group 1 success, but has not been able to break through.
If the grey is to return to racing it would be an ambition of owner and wealthy businessman Gerry Ryan for a group 1 victory to bolster the horse’s reputation.
”We will be looking after the horse’s best interests first,” trainer Darren Weir said.
Ryan won the 2010 Melbourne Cup with another French horse, Americain, who stood his first southern hemisphere season at Swettenham Stud this year.
Puissance De Lune was put up as the 2013 Melbourne Cup favourite a few days after last year’s race when he won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the same event won by Makybe Diva before she went on to win three Cups.
The spring is also over for It’s A Dundeel, who finished eighth as the Cox Plate favourite.