Purple Moon aimed at an autumn rising

Purple Moon, the Melbourne Cup runner-up, is to be prepared with a lucrative campaign overseas in mind. The Luca Cumani-trained five-year-old narrowly missed out on creating history in November when Efficient wore him down close home.

He had a minor setback earlier in the year but races like the Canadian International and the Hong Kong Vase are all under consideration.

"The setback might be a blessing because we'll end up with a fresher horse in the autumn," said owner Craig Bennett. "I think we'll be looking at all the big races abroad with him. I would hope to see him out in mid to late August or early September.

"It depends what the ground is like but the Geoffrey Freer or the Cumberland Lodge are possible races."