![FORTUNATE: La Pomme de Pin (Joe Bowditch) returns to scale for Adelaide trainer Lloyd Kennewell after taking out the Magic Millions 2yo Clockwise Classic on Saturday. Picture: AAP Images FORTUNATE: La Pomme de Pin (Joe Bowditch) returns to scale for Adelaide trainer Lloyd Kennewell after taking out the Magic Millions 2yo Clockwise Classic on Saturday. Picture: AAP Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/mTvP5NhWJFQFv7uTytgxtB/e79b7ecd-c7cb-42a2-aca1-aed5f80e2e74.JPG/r0_0_3684_2456_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Ballarat Turf Club is looking for ways to better cater for growing interest in the Magic Millions 2yo Clockwise Classic on Cup Day.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
BTC chief executive officer Lachlan McKenzie is planning to liaise with Racing Victoria and Magic Millions to find a program which provides trainers with a clearer pathway to the $200,000 event.
McKenzie said the response this year meant 10 hopefuls missed a run.
He said five were balloted out on top of the five which were emergencies and ultimately stayed home in their stable.
Impressive winner La Pomme De Pin was among runners fortunate to survive the ballot.
McKenzie said the first step would be have the field increased to 12 starters.
This was the size of the field in the first edition of the classic, but the limit has been 11 in subsequent runnings of the race, which is restricted to graduates of Magic Millions sales around Australia.
McKenzie said as it stood one of the conditions of entry was running in formal clockwise trials in Ballarat specifically organised to prepare two-year-olds for the event.
He said among options were further formalising trials or running official prelude races or heats which provided ballot exemptions.
McKenzie said this would remove some uncertainty – reducing the number of spots subject to ballot.
He believes the BTC’s Melbourne Cup eve race meeting would fit in well as a date if preludes were to be run.
McKenzie said the Saturday metropolitan class Cup Day continued to develop, as reflected by the class of runners across the program.
He said although numbers were a little on the light side in the Cup, there was no questioning the quality.
After two race meetings in four days – Saturday and Tuesday – the Sportsbet-Ballarat circuit now gets a break and time to recover.
BTC does not race again until January, when it will again have two meetings in quick succession.
Ballarat next races on Sunday, January 14, and then on Tuesday, January 16.
MEANWHILE, apprentice jockey Tahlia Hope has appealed the severity of a two-week suspension for weighing in overweight after a race on Ballarat Cup Day.
Hope was suspended for a total of 16 meetings - five metropolitan and 11 provincial meetings - after pleading guilty to having weighed in more than 0.5kg above her declared weight after finishing second on Proud Wolf, which was beaten a long neck.
Hope weighed out for the race at 52.4kg and weighed in at 53.2kg.
Her appeal against the severity of the penalty will be heard on Thursday.