When it comes to winning the Ballarat Cup, Tony McEvoy can make a strong case for being overdue.
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He has had a big hand in three of the past four listed $300,000 Sportsbet.com.au Ballarat Cups.
Pelicano ran second in the back-to-back Cups in 2012 and 2013.
Then last year Sysmo ran a close-up fifth.
McEvoy is again taking a shot at the stumps on Saturday – this time with Scherzoso.
Although he is awkwardly drawn in gate 16, Scherzoso goes into the 2200m event relatively fresh after only two starts from a break spell runs and on the way up.
Apprentice jockey Ben Allen will need to find cover midfield for the five-year-old, which will allow him to then run on as he did two starts ago first-up at Moonee Valley. He came from the tail of the field to get fourth over 1500m.
He did sit much closer to the pace to get third behind The Chairman and Cool Chap over 1800m at Flemington on Oaks Day.
Most significantly he drops 6kg on each of these outings – a 3.5kg turn around on Cool Chap.
Scherzoso is one of three Cup starters raced by major syndicator OTI Racing, which also has Darren Weir pair Lidari and Lord Van Percy.
Scherzoso 1 Lidari 2 Cool Chap 3
- David Brehaut selects
Tony McEvoy is not only sizing up the Ballarat Cup.
He is making a strong play with first starters Despatch and Nistaan for the $200,000 Magic Millions 2yo Clockwise Classic, 1000m; Mr Markou in the $100,000 VOBIS Gold 3yo Eureka Concrete, 1400m; and Dollar For Dollar in the $50,000 SUEZ McKellar Mile, 1600m.
WHEN Ballarat Turf Club and Gold Coast-based Magic Millions first put forward the idea of a clockwise race, it certainly caught the racing fraternity by surprise.
The $200,000 Magic Millions 2yo Clockwise Classic, 1000m, on Ballarat Cup Day is now well and truly entrenched on the racing calendar – not only as a lead-up to the Magic Millions 2yo on the Gold Coast early in the new year, but a major late spring target for the juveniles.
First run in 2012, the Clockwise Classic looks like being highly competitive with a capacity field from interstate and representing some of the country’s leading stables as big name trainers such as Darren Weir, Mick Price, David Hayes, Robbie Lang, and Peter and Paul Snowden look for a launching pad to the Gold Coast.