BALLARAT's status as Victoria's premier country racing club will be lifted to a new level on Saturday.
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An outstanding reponse by the racing fraternity to Ballarat Turf Club's $1m Cup Day has ensured this.
In only its second season as a Saturday metropolitan class race program, the meeting is already firmly entrenched a permanent fixture on the Victorian Spring Carnival calendar.
BTC chief executive officer Lachlan McKenzie said an enhanced card made the event a "fitting finale" to the spring.
He described the quality and quantity in the 10 races as "sensational".
"We're over the moon."
The meeting has attracted 170 horses - 40-plus more than last year.
Seven races feature emergencies and the other three initially had capacity fields.
McKenzie said several modifications to program by Racing Victoria had been met positively by trainers, as had the rise in Ballarat Cup stakemoney from $200,000 to $300,000.
He said the Cup was certainly the best field in his five years in the CEO role.
McKenzie said having two runners with ratings of 100-plus spoke volumes for the quality of the event.
He said the Magic Millions 2yo Clockwise Classic also continued to grow in stature,
CUP FIELD:
1-920 Junoob (Chris Waller) B Rawiller 6 60kg
2-530 Index Linked (Chris Waller) B Melham 10 59.5kg
3-803 Prince Cheri (David Vandyke) M Zahra 13 57kg
4-110 Digitalism (John Salder) M Dee (a) 12 56kg
5-774 Akzar (Darren Weir) M Payne 5 55kg
6-005 Crafty Cruiser (Bryce Stanaway) J McNeil (a) 4 55kg
7-000 Tanby (Mick Cerchi) D Holland 17 55kg
8-755 Tooleybuc (Darren Weir) D Yendall 15 55kg
9-440 Maygrove (Murray Baker) P Moloney (a) 54.5kg
10-720 Pondarosa Miss (Jason Bridgman) J Winks 3 54.5kg
11-000 Sonntag (Henry Dwyer) Chris Symons 16 54.5kg
12-624 Sysmo (Tony McEvoy) L Currie 18 54kg
13-035 Don Doremo (Robbie Laing) Craig Robertson 8 54kg
14-855 Lord Durante (Simone Ferchie) D Gauci 11 54kg
15-063 Mujadale (Paul Jones) Stephen Baster 2 54kg
16-444 Ungrateful Ellen (Robert Smerdon) C Newitt 7 54kg
17-711 Zayam (Matthew Smith) V Duric 1 54kg
18-447 Wales (Richard Laming) S King 14 54kg
which like the Cup attracting interstate runners.
McKenzie said raceday package bookings were on a par with last year, but there was a remarkable increase in online general admission purchases.