New Zealand Cup champion Lazarus is a shock nomination for Saturday night’s $120,000 PETstock Ballarat Pacing Cup.
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He provides trainer Mark Purdon with two massive chances to land back-to-back wins in the group 1 event.
As expected, Purdon has also nominated last year’s Ballarat Pacing Cup winner Smolda.
Lazarus had been expected to run in a free-for-all at the Ballarat Cup meeting as a warm-up to the $400,000 Victoria Cup a week later.
They join 2015 Inter-Dominion champion Lennytheshark among entries
Ballarat and District Trotting Club has 12 nominations for the cup after the scheduled deadline of noon, but entries have been extended to 3pm.
Australia’s premier trainer Emma Stewart will pursue a third hometown cup success with the in-form duo of Major Secret and Young Modern
A group 1 winner as a youngster, Major Secret has lifted to a new level for Stewart this season – winning the Geelong and Horsham Cups.
Young Modern took out the Ballarat Lightning Mile on Boxing Day and finished second to his stable mate in the Horsham Cup.
Daylesford trainer Mick Barby is also set to continue on the country cups trail with It Is Billy, which contested the Ballarat Cup last year.
Savesomtimetodream, trained by Paul Rowse at Ross Creek, is the other Ballarat district entry.