A year ago Lachlan McKenzie oversaw his last Ballarat Cup as Ballarat Turf Club chief executive officer.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He stepped away from the role after spending eight years elevating Cup Day to the biggest provincial race meeting in Victoria.
He will be in much different circumstances for the 2020 edition of the $500,000 Sportsbet Ballarat Cup, 2000m, on Saturday.
McKenzie will have eyes on the listed race as an owner of the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Junipal.
Not only is McKenzie seeking his first Ballarat Cup win as an owner, he is also pursuing his first success on his home track. "I've been close, but never quite made it."
McKenzie describes having a Ballarat Cup starter as the biggest moment as an owner.
And that is saying something for someone who has experienced the excitement of winning group 1 races with the likes of Palentino - Junipal's half-brother - and Japanese imports Tosen Stardom and Brave Smash.
It was through the success he enjoyed with Palentino that he pursued the Tasmanian-bred Junipal as a weanling and ultimately acquired him.
With Palentino going to stud, McKenzie said the ownership group was hopeful Junipal might go down the same path.
He said with that in mind Junipal, initially with Darren Weir and then Maher and Eustace, had travelled the country pursuing group success to enhance his value as a stallion - racing in Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales.
McKenzie said with that proving beyond him, the decision had been made to geld the five-year-old to focus on getting the best out him on the track.
While that has done no harm, McKenzie said Junipal's latest campaign wiith three wins in his latest four starts had also shown he had not been up to group 1 company.
He said it was great that despite that Junipal was stepping out in Ballarat in a race worth $500,000 - the same as the group 1 Toorak Handicap which he contested two starts ago.
McKenzie said when he left the BTC as CEO, two things he was looking forward to most were watching the club continue to develop and going to a Ballarat Cup where he could sit back and enjoy the experience.
Unfortunately COVID-19 restrictions mean he will have to wait for the latter.
Rather than making a cameo appearance on track to watch the Cup from the owners' "bubble", McKenzie will spend the day watching on from afar with other connections at the Red Lion Hotel.
Juniapl is second favourite behind Ballarat mare Affair To Remember.