Reigning Melbourne Cup-winning trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman are sizing up this weekend's $500,000 Sportsbet Ballarat Cup, 2000m.
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The father and son combination have nominated last-start group 3 JRA Cup winner Ain'tnodeeldun and Brisbane Cup runner-up Warning for Saturday's listed race.
Ain'tnodeeldun has won his past three, topped off by the Moonee Valley feature over 2040m, while Warnings has the Sydney St Leger, 2600m, and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, 2600m, to his name.
Ballarat Turf Club has attracted 27 nominations for the Cup, with the 16-strong line-up to be confirmed on Wednesday.
Last start winner of the $1m Gong, 1600m, at Kembla Grange, the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Detonator Jack, and Danny O'Brien-trained Young Werther are highest rated entries ahead of the the Gavin Bedggod-trained Just Folke - winner of the group 3 Eclipse Stakes, 1800m, at Caulfield on Saturday.
Maher and Eustace have four nominations, also including Convener, Hermen Hesse and Wyclif.
Skelm is the shock entry.
Trained by Terry Kelly at Coghills Creek, Skelm has not raced since the Adelaide Cup in March last year.
That came after a win in the listed Torney Cup at Moonee Valley and second in the listed Bagot Handicap at Flemington.
His career also features victory in the 2021 Stony Creek Cup, and thirds in the 2020 Mornington and Stawell Cups.
Excelleration (Richard Cully), Irish Butterfly (Henry Dwyer), Vardani (Archie Alexander) and Ziggi Rocks (Melody Cunningham) are other Ballarat-trained entries.
Cup weights will be declared late on Monday.
Some 294 entries have been received for the 10-race program:
+ $250,000 Magic Millions Ballarat 2yo Classic, 1000m - 13
+ $175,000 Magic Millions Ballarat 3yo and 4yo Classic, 1100m - 27
+ $175,000 VOBIS Gold Eureka Stockade, 1400m - 11
+ $80,000 benchmark87, 1100m - 51
+ $80,000 McKellar Mile, 1600m - 42
+ $130,000 benchmark84, 1400m - 36
+ $130,000 benchmark84, 2000m - 35
+ $150,000 Tonks Plate, 1100m - 15
+ $130,00 benchmark78 mare, 1200m - 37
CUP NOMINATIONS
AIN'TNODEELDUN (Anthony & Sam Freedman)
CAPTAIN ENVIOUS (Paul Preusker)
CONVENER (Ciaron Maher/David Eustace)
DETONATOR JACK (Ciaron Maher/David Eustace)
DUNKEL ((Patrick Payne)
EN FRANCAIS (Jake Stephens)
EXCELLERATION (Richard Cully)
FOUJITA SAN (Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes)
FOXY CLEOPATRA (Trent Busuttin/Natalie Young)
GLITTER 'N' GOLD (Lindsey Smith)
HARMYSIAN (Clayton Douglas)
HERMAN HESSE (Ciaron Maher/David Eustace)
IRISH BUTTERFLY (Henry Dwyer)
JUST FOLK (Gavin Bedggood)
KIPYEGON (Wendy Kelly)
MIDNIGHT BLUE (Mark Walker)
RED SUN SENSATION (Peter G Moody/Katherine Coleman)
REGAL POWER (John Leek Jnr)
SEA SPEEDWELL (Peter G Moody/Katherine Coleman)
SKELM (Terry Kelly)
SWORDS DRAWN (Michael Moroney)
VARDANI (Archie Alexander)
WARNING (Anthony & Sam Freedman)
WICKLOW (Chris Waller)
WYCLIF (Ciaron Maher/David Eustace)
YOUNG WERTHER (Danny O'Brien)
ZIGGI ROCKS (Melody Cunningham)
