Stunin Cullen last year became the third NZ-trained winner of the group 1 event.

He joined Yulestar (2001) and Just An Excuse (2004) on the honour roll.

Gold Ace will open his Australian campaign in the $125,000 PETstock Ballarat Pacing Cup, 2710m, on Saturday, January 28.

His trainer Steven Reid is eyeing the $425,000 AG Hunter Cup as Gold Ace’s main target in Harness Racing Victoria’s “Nights of Glory” Carnival.

Gold Ace has not raced in Australia since winning the rich four-year-old feature, the Golden Nugget, in Perth in November last year.

He is returning on the back of a third in the $40,000 Futurity at Cambridge.

Reid is sure the entire, which was the subject of a $1million offer from Perth interests in November, will improve immensely on that outing.

He said the Ballarat Pacing Cup run should have Gold Ace spot on for the Hunter Cup.

Despite failing in last season’s Victoria Derby, Gold Ace was a two-time group 1 winner in three-year-old company in his homeland.

He took out the Emerald and NRM Sires Stakes, and now boats 13 wins in 25 starts for $720,000 in earnings.

Highview Tommy will go into the Australasian Grand Circuit event in Ballarat after making his Australian debut in Saturday night’s group 2 $50,000 Shepparton Gold Cup, 2690m.

The Mark Purdon-trained six-year-old has been mixing his form of late.

At his best, though, Highview Tommy is right up to the best, having finished third to Terror to Love and Smoken Up in last year’s group 1 $600,000 NZ Trotting Cup, and winning the Inter-Dominion Pacing Championship consolation.

Highview Tommy was among the best of his age as a juvenile, winning the group 1 Welcome Stakes.

Four starts ago he won the group 2 Franklin Cup, giving him15 career victories and $749,655 .

• BALLARAT and District Trotting Club will launch the Ballarat Pacing Cup with a breakfast at Bray Raceway on Tuesday. For the second year in a row Radio Sports National will broadcast live its breakfast program from the function.

Ballarat football export and Collingwood premiership player Mick McGuane and Adam White host the Prime Time Sports Interactive radio program.

Geelong football personality Billy Brownless will be a special guest in his role as Harness Racing Victoria’s country cups ambassador, as will champion pacer Smoken Up’s trainer Lance Justice. BDTC chief executive officer Paul Rowse said the barrier draw would take place at 8.45am.

He said breakfast bookings already exceeded 150.