Ballarat and District Trotting Club chief executive Paul Rowse told The Courier he had spoken with the star horse’s part-owner Phil Kennard following last Friday night’s triumph, with those discussions confirming he would not be back to tackle the race he featured in during January.

Early this year, the Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen-trained pacer finished second to Smolda in the group 1 feature event.

There had been hopes he would return to try and go one better in Ballarat, but instead connections are likely to pursue the $300,000 Fremantle Pacing Cup on January 12 and the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup on January 19.

The Ballarat Pacing Cup is scheduled one day later on Saturday, January 20.

Lazarus was a brilliant winner of the $1.1 million Inter Dominion Championship Final at Gloucester Park last week.

The horse’s victory – his 33^rd from 40 career starts – took his lifetime earnings to more than $3 million.

While Lazarus won’t be in Ballarat next January, Rowse did reveal Kennard is planning to bring boom horse Ultimate Machete and Thefixer to Victoria for the BDTC’s $100,000 feature event.

Ultimate Machete also won at Gloucester Park on Friday night – the $200,000 Golden Nugget – to take his career record to 11 triumphs from 23 racetrack appearances.

Little is known about Thefixer in Australia, but the four-year-old Bettor’s Delight gelding has won six of his 11 starts in New Zealand.

Kennard part-owns the pair, which is also trained by Purdon and Rasmussen. He also raced Smolda.

Rowse is expecting past Inter Dominion Championship winner Lennytheshark to contest the Ballarat Pacing Cup.

The David Aiken-trained eight-year-old placed seventh in Friday night’s final behind Lazarus, beaten just over nine metres.

Lennytheshark has contested the past two Ballarat Pacing Cups, but is yet to win the race.

Nine races have been scheduled for the Ballarat Pacing Cup meeting, including the group 2 E B Cochran Trotters Cup.