BALLARAT Harriers runner and Warrnambool Gift winner Grace Kelly has made the most of her Stawell Gift handicap mark, winning through to Monday's semi-finals with an outstanding heat win on Saturday.
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The 14-year-old rising star blitzed her rivals in the 10th of the 11 heats held at Stawell on Saturday afternoon, winning in a time of 14.028 seconds, placing her the fifth quickest in the early stages of the meeting.
Kelly is running off 4.25 metres at Stawell, a full 1.25 metres more than she had at Ballarat, where she placed eighth in the final.
Her time placed her right in the mix behind early pace setter South Australian Hayley Orman who made the most of her 9.75 metre handicap to run the quickest time of 13.819 seconds for the 120m event.
Others to set the hot pace include Orman's training partner Hayley Openshaw, also off 9.75m, with 13.984 seconds, Dianne Wright with 13.912 seconds off 5.75 metres and Ellie Keratianos with 13.960 off 6.5 metres.
Another stand-out was Ballarat Gift winner Zoe Neale. Neale, running off 4.5 metres finished second in a time of 14.189 seconds.
Kelly blew out the early cobwebs with three strong 70m runs on Saturday and Sunday, culminating in a fourth placing in the 70m final.
That final, on Sunday afternoon, was won by the in-form Olivia May who last month started as the favourite for the Ballarat Gift, in which she finished third.
Kelly ran off just 2 metres in the 70m event, making up ground on May, who's 7.25 metre handicap proved just too much for the talented teenager to overcome.
The other stand-out in the 70m was Ballarat's Holly Nichols who won her semi-final, but just missed the start in the final to finish fifth. Former Ballarat Gift winner Ebony Lane was another to run strongly, off -.25 metres, she raced home strongly for third.
Another Ballarat Gift finalist Cassandra Wang Lecouteur was third in the 70m final.
The Women's Stawell Gift Final is at 1.50pm on Monday afternoon.
