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 2023 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out of last year’s Cup in a pre-race Racing Victoria veterinary inspection that ruled the mare was lame and she was withdrawn from the race.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.