HURDY Gurdy Man will be out to add to his tally of country cups in Ararat on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Darren Weir-trained Hurdy Gurdy Man will carry the top weight of 61kg in the $50,000 Ararat Gold Cup, 2000m.
Weir also has At First Sight near the top of the weights with 58.5kg and the in-form Something To Share on the minimum of 54.5kg as acceptors.
Horsham Cup winner Happy As Hell (trained by Terry and Karina O'Sullivan at Stawell), the Peter Gelagotis-trained Hvasstan and You Think So from the Mick Kent team are also in the capacity field of 14.
Hurdy Gurdy Man enjoyed a fine spring last year.
He began his campaign much earlier on that occasion, winning the Murtoa and Hamilton Cups and then going on run third in the Ballarat Cup, and second in the Werribee Cup and Bagot Handicap at Flemington.
Like last season, the seven-year-old has failed to flatter in his first time two runs back, but it was at his third outing that he turned the corner at Murtoa and kicked on from there.
At First Sight also needs to improve, but the 2011 Melbourne Cup runner is on the comeback trail after almost three years off the scene.
The eight-year-old has had three starts for Weir and in his latest at Moonee Valley did finish within four lengths of winner Pheldon over 2040m.
He was scratched from the Kyneton Cup on Wednesday.
Something To Share goes into the race in consistent form, with a benchmark70 win at Kyneton followed by a second to Spanish Vixen in the St Arnaud Cup, 2000m.
A seven-year-old, he is stepping up in class, but is weighted to make his presence felt.
Peter Moody has the emerging River Delta in the $75,000 China Bowl, 1300m.
River Delta has won four of five career starts and fresh from taking out the listed $120,000 Black Pearl, 1200m, at Geelong.
Ararat has an eight-event card, with the first at 1pm.
YOKOZUNA will attempt to complete back-to-back Ballan Cup victories at Geelong on Saturday.
Warrnambool trainer Aaron Purcell is again saddling up Yokozuna in the $20,000 Sportingbet Ballan Cup, 1518m, as well as hurdling import King Of Dudes.
Purcell's runners book-end the 11-strong field, with King Of Dudes the top weight on 58kg and Yokozuna with the minimum 54kg.
Tallat and Severn Road, which last year filled the minor placings in the feature event at Ballan Jockey Club's only race meeting of the season, also line-up again.
Severn Road is second-up after taking out the Traralgon Cup and finishing third in the Pakenham Cup in the summer.
The BJC has programmed eight races with a 12.45pm start.
BALLAN CUP
1518 metres
1-116 KING OF DUDES Andrew Mallyon (5) 58kg
2-069 WHITE UNIVERSE Dale Smith (9) 57.5kg
3-430 SEVERN ROAD Ryan Maloney (6) 57kg
4-577 HINCHLEY WOOD Jack Hill (10) 56.5kg
5-0471 TALLAT Les Tilley (a2) (1) 54.5kg
6-555 TULLY COSTA Ms Carryn Downie (a3) (11) 54kg
7-404 HOT SPIN Dean Holland (2) 54kg
8921 SEUL SPIRIT Cory Parish (3) 54kg
9-2110 LUCKY EDGE Damien Thornton (a0) (7) 54kg
10-451 BARE KNUCKLE Jason Benbow (8) 54kg
11-345 YOKOZUNA Edward Creighton (4) 54kg
ARARAT CUP
2000 metres
1-200 HURDY GURDY MAN John Allen (7) 61kg
2-899 AT FIRST SIGHT Brad Rawiller (2) 58.5kg
3-606 HVASSTAN Jason Benbow (4) 57.5kg
4-505 YOU THINK SO Jake Bayliss (a1.5) (10) 57kg
5-307 MUJADALE Kevin Forrester (8) 55kg
6-062 STRATIGRAPHY Daniel Moor (5) 54.5kg
7-207 MORANT Jackie Beriman (a0) (1) 54kg
8-911 HAPPY AS HELL Jack Hill (6) 54kg
9-067 MASTER'S DEGREE (14) 54kg
10-566 GREAT LANE Nikita Beriman (12) 54kg
11-512 SOMETHING TO SHARE Dean Yendall (9) 54kg
12-903 TANAH LOT (Brian Higgins (3) 54kg
13-834 STYNES (11) 54kg 69
14-319 CAVES Katelyn Mallyon (a0) (13) 54kg