South Australian Letton, who took out the $2000 race over 100 metres in dramatic fashion last year, has re-entered the race and will start off at a handicap of 4.5 metres.

Letton took out last year’s race in a spectacular photo-finish, where he fell after crossing the line and spiked Melbourne’s Peter Dudkiewicz in the thigh.

He finished just ahead of Ballarat’s Rob Lehmann, who has not registered to compete.

Two runners have been assigned backmarker positions for the main race, with Tarneit’s Matt Hargreaves and Robert Vidler of Hoppers Crossing to start from the back.

Hargreaves is a versatile athlete who has won events all across Victoria, ranging from 70-metre to 400-metre events.

Vidler, from Hoppers Crossing, has been on the sprinting scene for years, formerly hailing from Canberra.

Adam Hayes is the most heavily handicapped Ballarat sprinter, starting off two metres.

In the women’s 100-metre event, 2010 winner Emma Johnson will return to try to win back her crown, which currently rests with Ballarat’s Narelle Lehmann, who is not competing.

Lehmann won back her Daylesford Gift crown from Johnson last year, who had taken it off Lehmann in the previous year.

Between the pair, they have shared the last five Daylesford Gifts, with Lehmann winning four of those.

Johnson, from North Melbourne, will be the lone backmarker, with Parkdale’s Lara Gambino the second heaviest handicap at 1.5 metres.

Forty competitors have entered the 100-metre open gift.

The heats for the gift will start at 1.05pm on Sunday, with the semi-finals to be run at 2.45pm and the final at 4pm.

Registration for the first race – the 3200m Heli Experiences cross country – will open at 10am.