Irish Flame, trained by Brett Scott and ridden by Michael Walker, held off Ballarat mare and favourite Affair To Remember by a half head.

Game Keeper finished third as less than a length separated to first six past the post in the 2000m event.

While thrilled with the performance of Affair to Remember, which was last as the field turned for home, it was also heartbreaking to miss out by the narrowest of margins.

Irish Flame was first emergency for the Cup and gain a run with the scratching of Power Scheme.

Kiwia, attenmpt to win a third Ballarat Cup, finished 11^th.

All the latest from Ballarat Cup Day, which rounds out the Victorian Spring Carnival.

It's a Ballarat Cup Day with a difference - no big crowd, just a maximum of 30 owners for each race.

The 10-race program begins with the Ritchies IGA BM70 Handicap, 1100m, at 12.10pm

The $500,000 Sportsbet Ballarat Cup is race eight at 4.25pm.

We'll keep you up-to-date with all the news and results right here throughout the day.

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Ritchies IGA Benchmark70 Handicap, 1100M

Ballarat apprentice jockey Will Price has had huge start to Ballarat Cup Day by winning on the Lindsey Smith-trained Riding The Wave.

Price is apprenticed to his uncle Dan O'Sullivan, who saddles up favourite Affair To Remember in the Ballarat Cup.

Price used his 3kg metropolitan claim to ease Ride The Wave's weight burden of 63kg.

The long-striding five-year-old charged home down the outside to edge out Mistake, with Ballarat jockey John Allen aboard.

The Warrnambool-based Smith has a big opinion of Riding Wave, which was having just a second start since joining his stable from New Zealand.

"He's going places," Smith said,

Global Turf Benchmark78 Handicap, 2600m

Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Jye McNeil didn't take long to get on the board at Ballarat's biggest raceday.

McNeil, who produced a masterclass front-running ride on Twilight Payment to win the race that stops the nation in early November, gave Blandford Lad a great steer in the Global Turf BM78 Hcp (2600m).

The emerging hoop set the Peter Gelagotis-trained gelding alight before the turn and he was able to stay off all his rivals, including the fast-finishing Reflect The Stars, which charged home from the back of the field for second.

"I've had a big opinion of this bloke, but he's always thrown me curveballs," Gelagotis said.

"He's a deserved victor and I've always believed in him.

"We've won a Saturday race with him finally!"

Gelagotis paid tribute to McNeil, who he shares a close relationship with.

"It was a super ride and he's just such a pleasant person to have on your team and he's out there always punching hard and doing his best for the Gelagotis team.

"I won't hide the fact that I love the guy, I like him like my own son."

Blandford Lad has now won five races from 23 career starts.

Magnum Equine VOBIS Gold Eureka Stockade, 1400m

Adelaide-trained horse Tradewind escaped South Australian lockdown and delivered a shock success in the Magnum Equine VOBIS Gold Eureka Stockade, 1400m.

Jye McNeil made it a race-to-race double with a rails-hugging ride, upsetting odds-on favourite Shelby Cobra, which dropped out badly when asked to quicken and finished second last.

Tradewind, which is trained by Ryan Balfour and paid $24.30 on the tote, bounced back from a fourth placing on his home track of Morphettville in late October to score a second career victory at start four.

The horse is sired by dual group 1 winner Trust In A Gust, which was previously trained by Darren Weir.

Magic Millions 2yo Clockwise Classic, 1000m

A Sydneysider on debut has proved himself to be a bargain buy by taking out the $250,000 Magic Millions 2yo Clockwise Classic, 1000m.

Readily Availabull came from next to last at the top of the straight for jockey Michael Dee to run away with the only race run in the clockwise direction in Victoria.

The colt cost just $25,000 at the Tasmanian Magic Millions yearling sale and has now put himself in the mix for the rich Magic Millions Classic on the Gold Coast in the new year.

Readily Availabull is trained by John Sargeant, who was unable to be in Ballarat owing to COVID-19 restrictions.

"I went to the Ballarat Cup meeting a couple of years ago and I saw this race and thought that I'd like to find a horse and train it up to win it," Sargeant said.

".When he worked well during the week I thought that this would be a good chance to do it," he said.

Prince Amongst Men was second after racing just off the pace, while Rambeau was a close-up third after taking the lead in the business end.

Hertz Ballarat Tonks Plate, 1200m

The group 3 Standish Handicap on New Year's Day looks the next big target for Levi Kavanagh's talented sprinter Excess Funds ($5.10), which produced a tough win in the Tonks Plate.

Top jockey Damian Lane gave the four-year-old a good on-speed ride and the horse was just able to hold out Hi Stranger, which peeled off his back in the straight and just failed to run him down.

Kavanagh said the horse's previous start at Flemington - when 10th in a listed event on Melbourne Cup day - was to be forgiven after the son of Rubick lost a shoe in the run.

"He pulled up after having lost a shoe and was a little bit sore so we sort of had to use that as a bit of a forget run and his second-up run, that sort of form brought to today should have had him right where we were," the Flemington trainer said.

Kavanagh said Excess Funds would likely have another start - potentially interstate - before a crack at the Standish at Flemington on January 1, 2021.

The Tonks Plate was created to honour long-time racing administrator Eric Tonks, who died in 2012.

Andy Graham Welding Mares Benchmark78 Handicap,1200m.

The Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival early in the new year is the likely destination for Snapdancer on the back of a first-up win in Ballarat on Saturday.

Trainer Ciaron Maher pointed to the Queensland trip after the four-year-old mare produced an emphatic performance in the Andy Graham Welding Mares Benchmark78 Handicap,1200m.

Maher said Snapdancer would travel north via his Sydney stable.

Snapdancer put the race away from the 300m, with jockey John Allen having to do little more than give her some rein.

A winner of three of 10 starts, Snapdancer had not raced since April.

Maher, who trains in partnership with David Eustace and has a sizeable stable in Ballarat, said missing the heart of the spring had not been planned.

"She wasn't quite right so we had to wait."

Suez McKellar Mile, 1600m

Danny O'Brien-trained Skiddaw continued a horror day for favourite punters at the Ballarat Cup meeting.

The four-year-old gelding sat up on speed outside leader Kaplumpich for much of the mile trip and then charged away for a dominant win over that rival.

Right You Are, trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent junior, was close to even money at the jump, but battled and was never a factor in the run to the line.

Up to race seven, not one favourite has been able to claim victory.

Damian Lane locked in a winning double with his success aboard Skiddaw, which returned in excess of $18 on SuperTAB.

The horse, which is trained at O'Brien's Flemington stables, has now won four of 17 starts.

Magic Millions 3yo and 4yo Classic, 1100m

Sisstar, a full sister to retired champion sprinting mare Sunlight, grabbed a moment in the spoltight in the $150,000 Magic Millions 3yo and 4yo Classic, 1100m.

It was appropriate that the four-year-old gave father and son training partners Tony and Calvin McEvoy a win on Ballarat biggest race day of the year, given that they are close to moving into their new state-of-the-art stable complex at the Ballarat racecourse.

"Unfortunately she didn't grow into the size that Sunlight was, she's quite a petite little filly," Calvin McEvoy said.

"But she's got a lot of guts.

"She relaxed beautifully out there for Damian (Lane) and she was in for the fight, which was fantastic," he said.

"Well done to the owners. They've been extremely patient.

"She's always lived in the shadow of Sunlight but she's done a fantastic job and already a Group 3 winner and worth a lot of money."

Sisstar completed a riding double for Lane

The Haymarket Benchmark84 Handicap, 1400m

Ballarat jockey John Allen completed a winning double in the last on Ballarat Cup Day.

He out-rode his rivals on Titan Blinders for Leon and Troy Corstens, finding the front and then kicking away to an unassailable lead.

"We got it pretty handy early and I probably increased it from the 600 (metre mark) and he held on good in the end," Allen said.

Titan Blinders scored by a length from Kazio, with more than a length back to I Am Vinnie.