Premiership winning trained Darren Weir is down to two runners in the Group 1 $500,000 Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes (1000m) at The Valley tonight after he was forced to scratch Voodoo Lad because of a foot problem.

Voodoo Lad, above, has been scratched from the Moir Stakes at The Valley. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Weir awoke this morning to find that Voodoo Lad had developed a foot abscess overnight and had no option but to withdraw the seven year old from the 1000m sprint around The Valley.

“We got him out of box this morning and when we trotted him up, like we do race morning, he didn’t trot up 100 per cent,” Weir said.

“We had a look at his foot and he’s got a bad pulse in his foot.”

Voodoo Lad had been racing in terrific form at two runs back from a spell for a win in the Group 3 $150,000 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on August 11 followed by a second to Ball Of Muscle in the Group 3 $150,000 The Heath 1100 Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on September 1 and was marked around the $12 mark at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Moir Stakes.

Weir still has two very good chances in the Moir Stakes and will saddle up the $1.90 favourite Nature Strip as well as the $12 chance Brave Smash.

Nature Strip is chasing his fifth straight win for Weir and is coming off a last start record breaking win over the same course and distance as the Moir Stakes in the Group 2 $200,000 Mitty’s McEwen Stakes three weeks ago.

Weir is happy with Nature Strip’s barrier seven and The Everest bound sprinter will be ridden by Damian Lane while Brave Smash will jump from gate ten in the eleven horse field with Hugh Bowman in the saddle.

The field for the Moir Stakes has been reduced to eleven runners with the Robbie Laing trained Missrock also a race morning scratching.