CRANBOURNE trainer Mick Kent is keeping his options open as to whether to attempt a hat-trick of Ballarat Cup victories.
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Kent has nominated You Think So for Sunday’s $200,000 Sportsbet.com.au Ballarat Cup, 2200 metres, but was late yesterday undecided whether he would tackle the listed event.
You Think So is also entered in two races at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Kent told The Courier that he was yet to discuss with the five-year-old’s owners which way they would prefer to go.
He said You Think So had won a benchmark 72 impressively two starts ago before having no luck when checked behind Verdant over 2800 metres at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day earlier this month.
Kent and jockey Brad Rawiller have won the past two Ballarat Cups.
My Bentley saluted in 2010 and Domesky last year.
Kent has no doubt the Jamie Edwards and Bruce-Elkington trained Sertorius is the one to beat on Sunday.
Sertorius is in blistering form – unbeaten in five starts this preparation.
These include three wins on city tracks, the latest over 2000 metres at Flemington on November 10, and the Sale Cup, 1600 metres, on October 28.
Ballarat Turf Club yesterday received 22 nominations for the Cup, which this year is worth an extra $50,000.
With the addition of the $200,000 Magic Millions Clockwise Two-Year-Old Classic, 1000 metres, the 10-race card will carry a record $625,000 in stakes.
The stable star for the Stawell father and daughter training team of Terry and Karina O’Sullivan, Exceptionally finished second in the group 3 Naturalism, 2000m, at Caulfield, second in the group 2 Herbert Power, 2400m, at Caulfield, third in the group 3 Lexus Stakes, 2500m, at Flemington and second in the group 2 Zipping Classic at Sandown Hillside on Saturday.
Her only blemish for the spring came in the Geelong Cup, when she found herself at the back of the field in a slowly run race and was out-sprinted.
The O’Sullivans had hoped to get a run in the Melbourne Cup, but missing out has kept her fresh enough to be considered for an outing at Dowling Forest.
Streets Away is one of four nominations from Ballarat stables, joining Grand Sunday (trained by John Sadler), Innocent Lady (Robert Smerdon) and Twin Eagles (Terry Kelly).
Cup entries also feature ultra-consistent staying mare Exceptionally, Darren Weir’s Kyneton Cup winner Streets Away, Hamilton Cup runner-up and professional placegetter Commanding Time, group-placed Extra Zero, Oakbank Cup winner Pelicano and three-time Horsham Cup winner Texan Warney.
Nominations:
ALMODOVAR
(trained by Peter G Moody)
COMMANDING TIME
(Brendan McCarthy)
DOCTOR FREMANTLE
(Sam Pritchard-Gordon)
EXCEPTIONALLY
(Terry and Karina O’Sullivan)
EXTRA ZERO
(David Hayes)
FANTASTIC PORSCHA
(John Symons-Sheila Laxon)
GRAND SUNDAY
(John Sadler)
INNOCENT LADY
(Robert Smerdon)
KING DIAMOND
(Jarrod McLean)
MODULE
(Peter Gelagotis)
NIPTIOUS
(Danny Curran)
PELICANO
(Tony McEvoy)
SEAN BAILE MOR
(Todd Balfour)
SERTORIUS
(Jamie Edwards-Bruce Elkington)
SHENZHOU STEEDS
(Michael Moroney)
SISTER NORMA
(Greg Eurell)
STREAKY FELLA
(Aaron Purcell)
STREETS AWAY
(Darren Weir)
TEXAN WARNEY
(Darryl Dodson)
TURNITUP
(Peter G Moody)
TWIN EAGLES
(Terry Kelly)
YOU THINK SO
(Michael Kent)