BOOM galloper Puissance De Lune will be back at Darren Weir's Warrnambool stable within four weeks to prepare for some of Melbourne's rich autumn races following a short break at owner Gerry Ryan's Nagambie property.
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Puissance De Lune spent weeks in Warrnambool doing extensive beach work before he scored an effortless win in the $250,000 group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Flemington on November 10 and the $250,000 listed Bendigo Cup on October 31. The impressive Queen Elizabeth win installed Puissance De Lune as the early favourite for the 2013 Melbourne Cup.
Weir said his Warrnambool stables had played an important part in the horse's rise to stardom.
"Puissance De Lune has spent a lot of time at Warrnambool," he said. "The horse has thrived since he's been there. He went up to Nagambie to Gerry's (Ryan) farm for a short break following his Queen Elizabeth win. We'll bring him back into work at Warrnambool in a month and aim him at the big autumn races," Weir said.
"We have not finalised which races we'll set him for just yet but they will all be feature autumn races before getting him ready for the 2013 Melbourne Cup."
Weir's Warrnambool base is at Matthew Williams' stables where he leases 16 boxes which are under the care of Daniel Bowman and Mitch Freedman while Mark O'Donnell does pre-training for the Ballarat mentor. "I'm very lucky to have such good workers working for my stable," Weir said. "They are all excellent at their various jobs . Having them to oversee horses which need a sea-change is one of the reasons why our stable has had such a good run lately."
WARRNAMBOOL horses Constant Force and Full Peal were late scratchings from a $100,000 open handicap over 1600 metres at Moonee Valley on Saturday after both horses were detected with minor blood disorders.
Trainer Bill Wilde, who trains in partnership with his son Symon, said there would be more options open for both horses to race over the next few weeks.
"We decided to miss Moonee Valley on Saturday because both horses had high white cell counts," he said. "We didn't wish to flatten either horse so we scratched them. I suppose we could have run Full Peal but he drew a very wide barrier which would not have helped his chances," Wilde said.
"Constant Force had a bit of a cough so we knew he was not right. He's a tough horse and he always eats but he was off his food. It was not a tough decison to scratch them."
Wilde said both horses would now be set for country cup races over the next few months and races under lights at Moonee Valley.
"When we had a good look at the race at the Valley on Saturday it was going to be a tough race for both horses," he said. "They didn't need tough races so early in their preparations. There are some really good country cup races coming up in the Western District over the next few months," he said. "We're sure they will measure up to those sorts of races or ones under lights at Moonee Valley. "
"We're confident both horses will have good preparations. Both have won races already in this campaign and should win more in the future."
Meanwhile, Wilde said he had bid on numerous horses at the Karake Ready To Run Sale in New Zealand last week but came home empty-handed.
"I looked at a lot of horses at the sales and I bid on a lot of them but they were just too expensive," he said.
"There were a lot of Asian buyers at the sales and they seemed to have endless amounts of money to spend. I was really interested in a Casino Prince colt but he sold for more than $300,000 that was way out of the money I had to spend on a two-year-old horse."
THURSDAY week's $35,000 Port Fairy Cup at the Warrnambool racecourse is on the radar for Scaredymac following his narrow win in a $34,000 open handicap at Morphettville on Saturday, according to his trainer Jarrod McLean.
Scaredymac notched up his eighth win when he defeated Exalted Brother by half a neck in the 1250-metre race.
McLean said the Port Fairy Cup was the obvious race for the seven-year-old.
"We'll be targeting the Port Fairy Cup and then go to the Woodford and Koroit cups at Warrnamboool with the horse," he said.
"He won the Woodford Cup last year. The 1400 metres of the Port Fairy Cup is an ideal distance for him at this stage of his campaign .
"Scaredymac has done a great job winning eight races not many horses win eight races during their career. I think there still are a few more wins in him."
McLean said he might target Youbolt for the $150,000 Standish Handicap (1200 metres) at Flemington on New Year's Day after finishing third in a $40,000-race over 1000 metres at Morphettville on Saturday.
"I was pleased with Youbolt's run. It was a good first-up effort," he said.
"He might have his next run in a sprint race at Flemington before the Standish.
"I reckon he'll need the experience of having the one run down the straight ideally we would want the Standish to be the third run in his campaign."
Youbolt's third placing took his earnings to just under $200,000.
FIVE electronic betting terminals (EBTs) have been installed permanently at the Warrnambool racecourse for punters to use at the Warrnambool Racing Club's next meeting on Thursday, December 6. The club had use of EBTs at its May carnival before the machines were transported back to Melbourne.
Club CEO John Green said the new machines would give punters a wider choice of bets.
"I think we are only the third country club to have EBTs installed on a permanent basis," he said.
"Full credit to our chairman Des Roberts for getting the machines here. He knocked on plenty of doors over the past few years to ensure that the machines would be here permanently," Green said.
"Punters will be able to have various exotic bets plus sports betting on the machines. They should be a big bonus for all our meetings through the year."
THE racing deeds of former top Camperdown jockey Neville "Nifty" Wilson will be remembered at an afternoon tea at the Camperdown Football Netball Club social rooms on Sunday from 2 -5pm.
Wilson's wife Carol said the afternoon was a way for the family to thank all of Nifty's supporters during his career. The 65-year-old former dairy farmer rode more than 2000 winners during his 50-year career before retiring in September.
CIARON Maher will push ahead with plans to run Hard Romp in the $1 million Magic Millions for three-year-olds at the Gold Coast on January 12 next year following his fourth placing in an $80,000 race at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Maher said he was not disappointed in Hard Romp's run in the 1000-metre race.
"Hard Romp was not as forward today as he was for his debut run at Caulfield in July," he said. "He's entered for the Magic Millons race and that's where we're heading with him at this stage. I reckon he's got a bright future," the trainer said. "He jumped well and was going to be caught wide so Vlad (Duric) dug him up. We'll take him home and get him ready for another 1000-metre race before looking at one over 1200 metres."
Hard Romp picked up $3600 for his fourth placing. He has now earned more than of $22,000 in stakemoney from his two runs.