Lunar Flare has been ruled out of the Melbourne Cup and retired with a career ending injury.
Trainer Grahame Begg announced on social media the immediate retirement of the mare on Saturday.
Lunar Flare had finished an unlucky fourth in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) on Friday night.
"Regrettably Lunar Flare has been ruled out of the Melbourne Cup after suffering a career injury after last night's race and she will be retired immediately," Begg posted on social media.
"She has been a very much-loved part of our stable for the last four years and we are devastated for her amazing owners."
Lunar Flare was a $17 chance in betting for the Melbourne Cup following her fourth-place finish on Friday night and had been guaranteed a start in the Cup after her win in the Listed Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) at Flemington in May.
The mare won nine of her 41 starts and collected just over $2 million in prizemoney for connections.
Among Lunar Flare's other wins was the Moonee Valley Cup in 2021 and the Group 3 Bart Cummings (2500m) last October which saw the mare earn a ballot exemption for last year's Melbourne Cup.
However, Lunar Flare was ruled out of last year's Cup in a pre-race Racing Victoria veterinary inspection that ruled the mare was lame and she was withdrawn from the race.
Lunar Flare's immediate retirement continues a rough patch for Begg who last week was forced to scratch Nonconformist from the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) after RV vets had ruled him lame in a pre-race examination.
Ladbrokes Moonee Valley Gold Cup (G2)
FP | Silk | Horse, Age & Sex Sire & Dam |
Jockey Trainer |
SP
WT |
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1st |
12. CLEVELAND (IRE) 5yo H CAMELOT (GB) - VENUS DE MILO (IRE) |
JAMES MCDONALD KRIS LEES |
$6.5
55.5kg |
||||||||
N C Williams, L J Williams, P Mehrten, G T Ryan, Mrs B A Green, A L Green, B N Singer, M E Ruff, Mrs M M Ruff, M J Symons, Jacobsen Bloodstock Pty Ltd (Mgr: P N Jacobsen), M Gudinski, V J Sammartino, D Evans, J A Ingham & B E G Arnhold | |||||||||||
2nd |
3. VOW AND DECLARE (AUS) 8yo G DECLARATION OF WAR (USA) - GEBLITZT (AUS) |
BILLY EGAN DANNY O'BRIEN |
$6.5
57kg |
||||||||
G Corrigan, Mrs S Corrigan, P J Lanskey, Mrs H R Hueston, T C Lanskey, J P Lanskey, K T Goodman, W R Leitch, A F Lanskey, B T Lanskey, S W R Knipe, L J Lanskey & S A Livingstone | |||||||||||
|
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3rd |
7. FUTURE HISTORY (GB) 5yo G SHOWCASING (GB) - LIKELIHOOD (USA) |
CRAIG WILLIAMS CIARON MAHER & DAVID EUSTACE |
$7.5
56kg |
||||||||
P Trainor, M J Burns, B S David, A R E Investments, Parsons Creek, A P Carney, Mrs A Carney, Mrs T A Carney, Halo Racing Services Pty Ltd, Mrs J McKenna, R & C Legh Racing Pty Ltd & Exset Racing | |||||||||||
|
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4th |
14. LUNAR FLARE (AUS) 8yo M FIORENTE (IRE) - MY FAIR LAGO (AUS) |
MICHAEL DEE GRAHAME BEGG |
$3.75
54.5kg |
||||||||
5th |
15. SO DAZZLING (NZ) 4yo M SO YOU THINK (NZ) - DAZZLING LADY (NZ) |
DEAN YENDALL J G SARGENT |
$51
51kg |
||||||||
|
|||||||||||
6th |
8. REGAL POWER (AUS) 8yo G PIERRO (AUS) - BROADWAY BELLE (AUS) |
WIREMU PINN JOHN LEEK (JNR) |
$51
55kg |
||||||||
7th |
4. ATHABASCAN (FR) 4yo G ALMANZOR (FR) - ALZUBRA (GB) |
DAMIAN LANE JOHN O'SHEA |
$5.5
56.5kg |
||||||||
8th |
11. SHERAZ (FR) 6yo G SEA THE STARS (IRE) - SHEMIYLA (FR) |
JYE MCNEIL CHRIS WALLER |
$19
55kg |
||||||||
9th |
2. ALENQUER (FR) 5yo G ADLERFLUG (GER) - WILD BLOSSOM (GER) |
DAMIEN OLIVER MICHAEL MORONEY |
$26
58kg |
||||||||
|
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10th |
10. TRUE MARVEL (FR) 7yo G MASKED MARVEL (GB) - ANECDOTIQUE (FR) |
MS CARLEEN HEFEL MATTHEW SMITH |
$101
55kg |
||||||||
11th |
5. FANCY MAN (IRE) 5yo G PRIDE OF DUBAI (AUS) - FANCY (IRE) |
JAMIE MOTT ANNABEL NEASHAM |
$21
56.5kg |
||||||||
|
|||||||||||
12th |
9. EL BODEGON (IRE) 4yo G KODIAC (GB) - AL ANDALYYA (USA) |
ZAC LLOYD CHRIS WALLER |
$13
55kg |
||||||||
|
|||||||||||
13th |
6. MOUNT POPA (IRE) 8yo G MAXIOS (GB) - MIMALIA (USA) |
BEAU MERTENS M, W & J HAWKES |
$81
56kg |
||||||||
|
|||||||||||
14th |
1. KNIGHTS ORDER (IRE) 8yo G SO YOU THINK (NZ) - LAMANKA LASS (USA) |
JORDAN CHILDS G WATERHOUSE & A BOTT |
$21
58kg |
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