Foreteller stunned Puissance de Lune in the Makybe Diva Stakes (Aus-I) Sept. 7 at Flemington, catching the early Melbourne Cup (Aus-I) favorite in the closing strides for a narrow victory.
The 6-year-old Dansili gelding raced well off the pace, tracking behind Puissance de Lune as December Draw set the early tempo.
Puissance de Lune, the 2-1 favorite, made his move into the straight and quickened smartly down the center of the track to seize control, but Foreteller moved right along with him. The pair battled toward the finish line, but Foreteller uncoiled a powerful final lunge under Craig Newitt to snatch the win by a half head.
Foreteller finished 1,600 meters (about one mile) in 1:37.04 on a track rated as dead to add a second group I win to his record at 15-1 odds. Winner of last season's Ranvet Rawson Stakes (Aus-I), the former Juddmonte Farms colorbearer earned a fourth group win among 10 wins overall from 33 starts.
Trained by Chris Waller, Foreteller finished second in the Doomben Cup (Aus-I) in May and entered the Makybe Diva off an eighth-place finish in the Pro-Ride Warwick Stakes (Aus-II) Aug. 24 at Warwick Farm. He was on his toes for the Makybe Diva.
"There was only one horse I wanted to be following (Puissance de Lune), and I was probably surprised he was back with us," Newitt said. "Chris just stressed, 'Don't move on him until the latest possible moment' and to the gray horse's (Puissance de Lune) credit he kept finding, but my bloke was just too strong.
"It was a good win; he had to reel off some good time and really tough it out. Whatever he runs in now he's just going to be so competitive."
Jockey Glen Boss said Puissance de Lune, a 6-year-old Shamardal horse, tired nearing the end of the race.
Highly regarded former Juddmonte Farms runner Sea Moon, runner-up in the 2011 Emirates Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT), had a troubled start in his Australian debut, stumbling and sprawling before finding his feet. Always last or well back, he finished 12h as the heavily backed 4-1 second favorite in the 14-horse field.
Fan favorite Moudre, at 91-1 odds, closed late to take third, 1 3/4 lengths behind Puissance de Lune.
Waller's Melbourne stable manager, Justin Hales, said Foreteller probably cemented a start in the BMW Caulfield Cup (Aus-I) Oct. 19, with the Underwood Stakes (Aus-I) Sept. 21 at Caulfield his probable next race.
Bred in England by Juddmonte, Foreteller is campaigned by a partnership that includes Black Caviar's connections, Werrett Bloodstock. He is out of English group I winner Prophesy, by Warning, and is a half brother to French group II winner Modern Look and English stakes winner Arabesque. The family includes New Zealand champion Fix.
