Leica Ding
THE next two weeks will decide the racing future of Melbourne Cup aspirant Leica Ding.
Two less-than-impressive runs have left trainer Darren Weir to weigh up his options with the Geelong Cup-winning mare.
First-up since April 2010, Leica Ding finished second last in last month’s Gold Nugget, 1600m, at Ballarat and then tailed the field in Friday night’s Pinker Pinker Plate, 2040m, at Cranbourne.
Weir said the 2009 Melbourne Cup runner “would want to show a bit more” for the stable to continue with her preparation.
“We’ll go for another fortnight and see where we are at.
“We are battling, we are struggling,” Weir said.
A potential next-up assignment for Leica Ding, who remains 56th in the Melbourne Cup order of entry, is yet to be confirmed.
Another of Weir’s key spring runners, Puissance de Lune, will head to a 2200m event at Warrnambool on Thursday en route to his tilt at the $250,000 Bendigo Cup.
The overseas import, purchased privately out of France 18 months ago by owner Gerry Ryan, produced an effortless five-length win at Mornington last week.
That performance followed a missed run in the Benalla Cup due to the meeting being abandoned and an eye-catching first-up fifth in the Gold Nugget behind stablemate Lord of Brazil.
Puissance de Lune has now had five runs in Australia for a return of three wins.
Lord of Brazil will back-up with a start in this Sunday’s Seymour Cup.
The six-year-old has picked up feature races at his last two outings, with his Gold Nugget win preceded by victory in the Mildura Cup in late August.
Weir will also saddle up Ava’s Delight for a 1600m event on tomorrow’s Thousand Guineas program at Caulfield.
tim.oconnor@thecourier.com.au