Australasia's best to lure big crowd to Ballarat Cup
Such a grand stage merits the best warriors and those two elements will come together in barnstorming style on Saturday night when Lazarus is unleashed for the 2017 PETstock Ballarat Pacing Cup.
Mark Purdon’s brilliant Bettors Delight entire returns to Bray Raceway as a beefed up mighty four-year-old, 12 months on from his dominant display in last year’s Victoria Derby heats.
Ballarat and District Trotting Club chief executive Paul Rowse can barely contain his excitement.
Kiwi superstar Lazarus has drawn widest on the front row, outside fellow top liners Smolda and Lennytheshark, but retains favouritism for the PETstock Ballarat Pacing Cup.
Lazarus opened a $1.30 favourite with tab.com.au and trainer-driver Mark Purdon said while the champ might not be quite at his peak first-up in Australia he would take some beating.
“Lazarus had 10 days off after the NZ Cup week,” Purdon said. “I don’t think he’s back to where he was in the NZ Cup, but he’s going to be hard to beat.”
Hector back on top after drama-filled Shepp Cup triumph
After no shortage of drama and intrigue Hectorjayjay unleashed the shackles and produced a stirring Neatline Homes Shepparton Gold Cup win.
And David Aiken’s superstar pacer did it in style, rattling off a 56.4-second final 800m to cruise to the Group 2 $60,000 crown, giving connections a night to remember.
If Hectorjayjay’s triumph wasn’t impressive enough, with the speed machine defeating his rivals by more than 8m, then the drama that preceded the victory fortified its mystique.
The $400,000 Group 1 Eynesbury Victoria Cup is the next scheduled stop for exciting five-year-old Cruz Bromac after his all-the-way Matthews Petroleum Hamilton Pacing Cup win yesterday.
Moments after his 4.7-metre victory over gun mare Berisari in the south-west Victoria club’s annual pacing feature, Braun said Cruz Bromac (Falcon Seelster-Crown Defender) would be set for the Summer of Glory’s night one jewel on Saturday, January 28, at Tabcorp Park Melton.
HERO series winner steps out for big night at Ballarat
The inaugural winner of the Alabar HERO Showing Series for retired standardbreds will be a special guest at this Saturday night’s PETstock Ballarat Pacing Cup.
Twenty-two-year-old Ballarat horsewoman Eboni Knights has accepted an invitation to partner Harness Racing Victoria HERO Program Ambassador Villagem in a ridden promotion for life after racing.
During December, Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) donated $12,500 to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Victoria.
Drivers Chris Alford (13 wins), Gavin Lang (11 wins) and Glenn Douglas (1 win) each racked up plenty of victories, with HRV donating $500 for every winner driven by those men while wearing the PCFA silks.
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