Group 1 updates for Puissance De Lune

Puissance De Lune’s pedigree received another Group 1 update when Honor Code won the Whitney Stakes (1800m) at Saratoga on Saturday.

It’s the latest of several significant results for the Swettenham Stud sire since his retirement in April.

Honor Code (A P Indy – Serena’s Cat by Storm Cat) keyed in the G1 Met Mile – G1 Whitney Hcp double for Lane’s End Farm owner Will Farish. The four year-old grey is an exciting stallion prospect and his goal is the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on October 31.

At last year’s Keeneland November Sale, a Tapit – Serena’s Cat filly foal sold for a record-breaking $3 million. It was the highest price ever paid for a weanling at public auction in North America.

Puissance De Lune (Shamardal – Princess Serena by Unbridled Song) is a member of the same family that goes back to champion filly Serena’s Song (Rahy). She was a close second to Flanders after a ding-dong duel in the 1994 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and then beat the colts in the Haskell Invitational and older mares in the Beldame Stakes to be crowned Champion USA 3YO Filly in 1995.

Serena’s Song (pictured) had topped the USA distaff record with earnings of $3.28 million when owners Robert and Beverly Lewis retired her to Denali Stud in Kentucky. She was pensioned last year and her last foal is a yearling filly by Medaglia D’Oro.

Another of her descendants with a Group 1 target later this year is Rizeena. She won the G2 Queen Mary Stakes in 2013 and G1 Coronation Stakes in 2014 but missed a Royal Ascot hat-trick when runner-up in the G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes on June 17.

Rizeena (Iffraaj – Serena’s Storm by Statue Of Liberty) holds several late-season nominations including the G1 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown, G1 Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket and G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.

Puissance De Lune is a son of Darley’s all-conquering Shamardal who sired his 84th stakes when Wildpark claimed the LR Hoppegartener Sommepreis (1800m) in Germany a few hours before the Whitney Stakes on Saturday.

Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) shuttled to Darley Australia until 2010 when a withers injury curtailed his southern sojourns. The sireline has also suffered several setbacks in Australia – Captain Sonador died after two books at Raheen Stud, Lope de Vega stopped shuttling following the collapse of Patinack Farm and Shamoline Warrior was spirited across the Tasman by Waikato based Bluegables Farm.

Puissance De Lune blitzed the Queen Elizabeth Stakes during his first Australian preparation at the 2012 Melbourne Cup carnival. Punters sent him out favourite for the 2013 Cox Plate but he injured a tendon that continued to hinder his career last year.

His younger brother His Majesty was an eye-catching first-up winner for trainer Kim Waugh last month and he’s been nominated for this year’s Cox Plate on October 24.

Swettenham Stud will stand Puissance De Lune for an introductory service fee of $11,000 (inc gst). Lifetime breeding rights are available for $22,000.

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