This time, there’s a much higher prize at stake. 

The women’s marquee sprint winner will take home $40,000, equalling the Gift title race for the first time in the Easter athletics carnival’s history.

When Breen won the Women’s Gift in 2012, she pocketed $2560.

She pitted her race against the men in last year’s Gift for a chance at the top prize.

Breen and Ballarat teenager Holly Dobbyn, the reigning Stawell Women’s Gift champion, lobbied hard for parity.

Dobbyn is out of the hunt now. 

Lack of race fitness and a season plagued with injury saw Dobbyn run out in Saturday’s heats.

But Breen still faces tough competition.

Rising Australian 200m track star Ella Nelson is a big contender. 

Nelson (2.25m) upset Breen and Australian sprint star Sally Pearson over 200m at last month’s Sydney Track Classic.

The 20-year-old smashed her personal best to clock 23.24 seconds. 

Then she smashed it again a week later to clock 23.04 seconds for the national title in Brisbane.

There is no doubt Nelson is in peak competitive form.

While Nelson finished second to Queensland beach sprinter Kelly McDonnell in heat two, her race looked impressive. 

Nelson will start in the red for semi-final two against Ballarat teenager Grace O’Dwyer, a strong pre-race favourite and clear heat winner.

Breen is first up in the semi-finals, just as she was for her heat win, and will compete against international experience in 36-year-old Melanie Purkiss, a former British Commonwealth Games athlete, and Australian 400m champion Morgan Mitchell.

Ballarat’s Cleo Anderson (12.25m) is also in semi-final one.

Breen’s training partner Lauren Wells, a three-time Olympian, will race off a 5.25m backmark in semi-final four, also featuring Tierra Exum, sister of Australian NBA export Dante Exum.

Ballarat’s Tara Domaschenz (7m) will race in semi-final three against national 100m finalist Elly Graf (3.75m) and another Breen training partner in Sarah Blizzard (9.5m).

melanie.whelan@fairfaxmedia.com.au

FIRST SEMI-FINAL 12.21pm

Red - Melissa BREEN scr

White - Morgan MITCHELL 5.5 metres

Blue - Melanie PURKISS 10.25

Yellow - Natasha HUGHES 10.5

Green - Sophia POWER 11

Pink - Cleo ANDERSON 12.5

Black - Keely HENDERSON

SECOND SEMI-FINAL 12.25pm

Red - Ella NELSON 2.75

White - Tara HAWKING 7

Blue - Grace O’DWYER 10.25

Yellow - Tori WEST 11

Green - Caitlin HAWKS 12

Pink - Hayley OPENSHAW 12.5

Black - Rosamond GILDEN 14

THIRD SEMI-FINAL 12.29pm

Red - Elly GRAF 3.75

White - Tara DOMASCHENZ 7

Blue - Sarah BLIZZARD 9.5

Yellow - Lynette VINEY 9.75

Green - Genevieve BROOKS 12

Pink - Kirsty STEVENS 12.5

Black - Angela PHILLIPS 14

FOURTH SEMI-FINAL 12.33pm

Red - Lauren WELLS 5.25m

White - Olivia FIEN 10.5m

Blue - Tierra EXUM 12

Yellow - Kelly MCDONNELL 12.5

Green - Cara BOUSTEAD 13.25

Pink - Stephanie JINKS 14

Black - Anna PASQUALI 14

WOMEN’S GIFT HEAT WINNERS

HEAT 1: Melissa Breen, scr 13.89secs

HEAT 2: Tori West, 11 metres 14.01s

HEAT 3: Melanie Purkiss, 10.25m 13.52s

HEAT 4: Grace O’Dwyer, 10.25m 13.53s

HEAT 5: Natasha Hughes, 10.5m 13.60s

HEAT 6: Olivia Fien, 10.5m 13.69s

HEAT 7: Kirsty Stevens, 12.5m 13.87s

HEAT 8: Stephanie Jinks, 14m 13.68s

HEAT 9: Angela Phillips, 14m 13.70s

HEAT 10: Caitlin Hawks, 12m 13.48s

HEAT 11: Tierra Exum, 12m 13.60s

HEAT 12: Morgan Mitchell, 5.5m 14.03s

HEAT 13: Sophia Power, 11m 13.50s

HEAT 14: Tara Hawking, 7m 13.75s

HEAT 15: Anna Pasquali, 14m 13.41s

HEAT 16: Lynette Viney, 9.75m 13.42s

Fastest losers 

Sarah Blizzard 9.5m (13.554), Kelly McDonnell 12.5m (13.591), Lauren Wells 5.25m (13.628), Genevieve Brooks 12m (13.63), Hayley Openshaw 12.5m, (13.637), Keely Henderson 13.75m (13.639), Ella Nelson 2.75m (13.675), Cleo Anderson 12.5m (13.684), Rosamond Gilden 14m (13.69), Cara Boustead 13.25m (13.725), Tara Domaschenz 7m (13.775), 

Elly Graf 3.75m (13.791)

MONDAY SCHEDULE 

10.40AM: 800m hcp heats (1-5)

11.20: Jack Donaldson 200m hcp semi-finals (1-4)

11.39: masters’ 300m hcp final

11.49: Little Athletics boys’ 100m semi-finals (1-2)

11.57: Little Athletics girls’ 100m semi-finals (1-2)

12.10PM: Herb Hedemann invitational 1600m hcp final

12.21: Stawell Women’s Gift 120m semi-finals (1-4)

12.40: Stawell Gift 120m semi-finals (1-7)

1.20: backmarkers’ 400m hcp final

1.30: women’s 400m hcp final

1.40: Little Athletics 400m hcp final

1.50: 800m hcp final

2.00: Jack Donaldson 200m hcp final

2.14: Stawell Women’s gift final

2.24: Chris Perry Memorial backmarkers’ invitational 120m hcp final

2.45: Stawell Gift final

3.10: backmarkers’ 3200m

3.25: Little Athletics 1500m

3.35: frontmarkers’ 400m hcp final

3.55: Bill Howard restricted 100m final

4.05: Little Athletics boys’ 100m final

4.10: Little Athletics girls’ 100m final

4.20: restricted series 400m final