Excited jockey Glen Boss has nothing but good things to say about 2013 Melbourne Cup favourite Puissance De Lune in the lead-up to his spring kick-off in the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Glen Boss cannot wait to ride Puissance De Lune in the P.B. Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Boss has been full of praise for Puissance De Lune since the imported entire stamped himself as a stayer to watch with dominant performances in the Listed Bendigo Cup (2400m) and Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) last spring.
The champion jockey could not speak highly enough about the condition of the son of Shamardal, after riding him in a jump-out at Ballarat last Saturday, and believes he will be flying home late in the 1400 metre event this weekend.
“I was just really taken by his physical appearance more than anything,” Boss told Racing Ahead on RSN.
“He has really made significant improvement as far as his condition goes and he looks fantastic.
“I definitely won’t be rushing to put him in a spot, I’ll let him find his feet and I won’t be doing silly anything on him early.
“If they go quick enough up front for him he is going to be very, very strong through the line.”
The Melbourne Cup is the obvious 2013 Spring Racing Carnival target for Puissance De Lune but Boss is adamant that the popular grey will be a weight-for-age performer and will be a contender in the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m).
“He has the attributes that weight-for-age horses should have, especially when gets to his proper trip,” Boss said.
“As he showed in the spring last year he has the ability to step out cleanly, put himself in a race and rattle off amazing sectionals which he showed in the Bendigo Cup and the Queen Elizabeth.
“He has got to go out and do it at weight-for-age but if he isn’t a weight-for-age horse I don’t know what is.
“He can race forward, he can race back and he has amazing sectionals – that’s what weight-for-age horses are.”
Boss rode champion mare Makybe Diva to Melbourne Cup victory on three occasions , partnered equine superstar So You Think to win the Cox Plate and has ridden a total of seventy-seven Group 1 winners but he puts Puissance De Lune’s victory in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on a pedestal as one of the most impressive performances that he has even been involved with.
“I have been involved with some special horses and some horses that have done some special things but I was just gob smacked by what he did that day,” the premiership winning jockey said.
“At Bendigo he gave me an amazing feel and I thought what have we got here but he was even better again in the Queen Elizabeth.
“He just simply smashed a good field and rated through the roof.”
Puissance De Lune is currently rated a clear favourite to begin his spring campaign with a victory in the P.B. Lawrence Stakes.
