Puissance De Lune will contest the Lawrence Stakes tomorrow, a race no Melbourne Cup winner has contested since Subzero in 1992. Source: Herald Sun
PUISSANCE De Lune, the early Melbourne Cup favourite, begins his campaign towards the famous Flemington "two-miler" when he resumes in the Group 2 Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield tomorrow.
Trainer Darren Weir has declared Puissance De Lune will be aimed at the Cox Plate-Melbourne Cup double this spring and did not even bother to enter the stayer for the Caulfield Cup.
The Lawrence was previously known as the Liston Stakes and no winner of this race has trained on to win a Melbourne Cup the same spring.
In fact, no Melbourne Cup winner has contested the Liston since Subzero in 1992.
Tobin Bronze (1966), Tauto (1971) and So Called (1978) won the Liston-Cox Plate double but the only Cox Plate winner in the last 20 years to contest the Liston was Maldivian in 2008.
Similarly, the only winner of the Liston-Caulfield Cup double was Sydeston in 1990 although in recent years Sky Heights (1999), Diatribe (2000), Mummify (2003) and Elvstroem (2004) all started their successful Caulfield Cup campaigns with unplaced Liston runs.
Gai has spring in her step
GAI Waterhouse is certainly doing everything she can to make sure former English gallopers Fiorente and Carlton House are primed for their new season race returns.
Already this preparation, Fiorente and Carlton House have had two barrier trials and together will have their third exhibition gallop between races over 1400m at Rosehill Gardens tomorrow.
Waterhouse's stayers Michelangelo and Julienas will also gallop over 1400m while Gary Portelli's talented Rebel Dane will have a solo workout over 800m.
Dust-up predicted in race for bush crown
THE judges are going to have their work cut out deciding the country and provincial Horse of the Year titles at the 2013 Racing NSW awards presentation in Sydney in early October.
Racing NSW released the finalists in both categories yesterday with the country award between the Paul Messara-trained duo Ortensia and Mahisara, and Brett Cavanough's Niblick.
Ortensia never won a race in Australia last season, in fact she was unplaced in her three starts here, but she did win the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes and Group 2 King George Stakes in England last August.
But will this sway the judges to award her the title over Mahisara, a three-time winner last season including the Group 3 Sandown Sprint, or Niblick, a winner twice at Listed level in the National Sprint and the Albury Gold Cup?
The provincial title is between Alma's Fury, winner of the Group 2 Apollo Stakes and Listed Bernborough Handicap, Rolling Pin, who won the Group 3 Cameron Handicap and Group 2 Shannon Stakes, or Sincero, winner of the Group 2 Memsie Stakes.
Heavy Jack had better be nimble and quick
IS this some sort of modern-day weight-carrying record for flat racing?
Youthful Jack, the veteran sprinter who has won 18 races and more than $1 million prizemoney, has been asked to carry a staggering 69.5kg in the open sprint at Sunday's Taree Cup meeting.
Trainer Ross Stitt has engaged 3kg-claiming apprentice Daniel Holten to ride Youthful Jack and reduce the sprinter's impost to 66.5kg.
To put some perspective on Youthful Jack's crushing impost, Carbine holds the Melbourne Cup weight-carrying record of 10st 5lbs (or 65.5kg), which he shouldered way back in 1890. Bernborough carried 10st 11lbs (or 68.5kg) when he won the 1946 Doomben Cup.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"It's a massive relief. It's a great way to start. I've spoken with dad every day and he said, 'make sure the first one counts'," said trainer Sam Kavanagh after winning with his first Sydney runner, Words Are Weapons, at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
BEST BET
Less Is More (Rosehill race 8) was never tested when trapped behind runners before when resuming from a let-up for a fifth to Coup Ay Tee in the Winter Challenge last start.
He was desperately unlucky that day but the step up to 1800m suits and he did win second-up last preparation.
Last week's result: Lucripetous showed staying potential with his dominant win at Royal Randwick.
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