Keayang Cullen and Jason Lee.
In a bid to attract the fastest horses to Friday night’s Laser Electrical Ballarat Mile at Bray Raceway a $10,000 carrot has been dangled by the club.
In addition to the $30,045 on offer for the Group 3 contest over 1609 metres, the $10,000 bounty will go to the winner should it break the 1:53.1 mark set by Smoken Up on Boxing Day last year.
A field of seven has been collated for the Lightning Mile, spearheaded by the super slick Marg Lee trained seven-year-old Keayang Cullen.
Trained in Terang, Lee’s son of Christian Cullen takes a seven-race winning streak into the Ballarat race and will be driven by in-form young gun Jason Lee.
Despite being drawn outside in-form Andy Gath trained second favourite with fixed odds, Maximan, the Keayang Cullen camp is confident they can find the lead early.
“That’s what we’ll be doing – going forward,” declared Marg Lee.
Keayang Cullen boasts plenty of gate speed and has run some impressive time over the last 12 months, including a 1:53.9 win in the Melton City Council Sprint at Melton and a track record-breaking 1:53.2 triumph in a heat of the Inter Dominion at Tabcorp Park over 2240 metres.
The new kid on the block, despite the fact he’s six years old, is Maximan from the powerful Andy Gath stable.
The ex-Kiwi son of Armbro Operative has looked every bit a star since crossing the ditch with wins in a heat of the Tabcorp Park Melton Cup, the final of the series and last time out in the Preux Chevalier Free-for-All.
Despite only scoring by a neck over Cut For An Ace last start, Maximan had to work hard early to find the lead with a fast lead time of 43.6 seconds.
He finished up winning in 1:55.3 after reeling off splits of 30.6, 29.6, 28.3 and 28.7.
“Most of his best form has been over the longer trips but strong horses tend to excel over a mile,” Gath said.
“We’re not sure what he’ll run but he’ll go quick.”
Gath is confident Maximan, driven by Kate Gath, can find the markers first from gate five but admits he will have his work cut out to hold out Keayang Cullen’s early charge towards the front.
John Caldow will take the reins aboard David Lewis trained last-start Group 1 winner Abettorpunt, who has drawn gate three.
The seven-year-old gelding, a son of Bettors Delight, rated 1:54 to win the Bohemia Crystal at Menangle in March and hasn’t run since.
Caldow replaces Abettorpunt’s usual driver Matthew Craven, who is currently suspended.
“I haven’t driven him since he was a two-year-old,” Caldow said.
“There looks like there will be a lot of speed around … at the end of the day he’s first-up and hopefully there will be a big season ahead. They’ll be going quick so I’ll be looking to come out good but he’s probably more likely going to take a sit.”
Paul Rowse trains seven-year-old Village Jasper gelding Savesomtimetodream, who is coming off a luckless fourth at Melton last Friday night.
Savesomtimetodream was caught three-wide with no cover at the bell and ended up 6.7 metres behind winner Im Barney Rubble in a rate of 1:57.8 (56 last half).
“We’ll be a lot closer to the peg line,” Rowse predicted.
“He’ll strip fitter for three runs back from a spell but realistically I don’t think he can win this against some of these over the distance.
“It’s just nice to have a runner in a hometown feature race.”
Polemarker Im Corzin Terror has shown pace off the arm in the past, winning the Terang Cup in February when leading from gate four, but that’s not generally his go and he’s likely to be crossed early on Friday night.
Im Corzin Terror closed his race off nicely to run fourth first-up from a spell in the Preux Chevalier and Amanda Grieve will have the son of Western Terror more forward second-up with Chris Alford in the cart.
Melton trainer Brett Cargill will put the polish on nine-year-old Our Sir Vancelot gelding Our White Knight from gate four with Rodney Petroff in the sulky.
Our White Knight ran third behind Im Barney Rubble last week when scooting along the sprint lane in the run to the line and his previous second to Exciteusinthecity in the Gammalite was full of merit.
Rounding out the Lightning Mile field is the second of the Terang flyers in six-year-old Jilliby Master.
The Glen Craven trained and driven son of Art Major is coming off a home-town win on Tuesday night when he rated 1:58.9 to beat Flaming Hero by 12.7 metres.
The Lightning Mile is scheduled to be run at 9.10pm.
