Six year old mare Lady Le Fay can give champion trainer Chris Waller back to back wins in the Listed $300,000 Ballarat Cup (2200m) at Ballarat on Saturday.
Lidari, above, is one of five Darren Weir trained gallopers entered for the Ballarat Cup at Ballarat. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Waller collected the winning trophy last year when one of the stable favourites Junoob scored an upset win over another roughie Wales with the favourite Ungrateful Ellen finishing in sixth position.
This year Lady Le Fay will step out as one of the top fancies coming off a last start two and three quarter lengths sixth to Jessy Belle in the Group 2 $300,000 7News Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on November 5.
Three starts back Lady Le Fay ran second to Dixie Blossoms in the Group 3 $150,000 Angst Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on October 8 before controversially getting beaten into sixth place when Hugh Bowman stuck to the fence in the Group 3 $150,000 Merlin Garage Door Openers Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on October 22.
Lady Le Fay is yet to be tested over the 2200m distance of the Ballarat up but has won over 2000m at Randwick in April and was beaten less than three lengths when sixth to Our Ivanhowe in the Group 1 $650,000 Hardy Brothers Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben during the 2016 Brisbane Winter Carnival.
While Waller has only the one nomination for the Ballarat Cup, leading Melbourne trainer Darren Weir who is based at Ballarat is looking for a home town victory with five horses among the total of twenty-eight entries.
Kyneton Cup winner Taiyoo and Eclipse Stakes third placegetter Lidari head up Weir’s nominations that also include Auvray, Lord Van Percy and Master Zephyr.
A good performance by Lidari in the Ballarat Cup could see him head to Perth for the Group 1 $1m Peters Investments-Kingston Town Classic (1800m) at Ascot on December 3.
The Matthew Williams trained Turnitaround could back up in the Ballarat Cup after winning the Group 3 $150,000 Eclipse Stakes (1800m) at Sandown last Saturday.
The Lindsay Park Team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig has nominated Rising Romance and Pilote D’Essai while Mike Kent also has two entries in Coldstone and Charlevoix.
Lee and Anthony Freedman also have two nominations for the Ballarat Cup in Nozomi who is coming off a last start second in a 2000m BenchMark 90 Handicap at Flemington on the final day of the four day Melbourne Cup Carnival and Cool Chap who finished two and a quarter lengths behind Turnitaround when sixth in the Eclipse Stakes.
