BTC ready to ride momentum into Cup day

BALLARAT Turf Club (BTC) is looking to ride a wave of momentum into its flagship event next month.

A month out from the 2025 Sportsbet Ballarat Cup, the club and the wider racing fraternity are buzzing with anticipation off the back of a massive ladies’ race meeting and a successful Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour stop in the city on 16 October.

And it’s been a big couple of months on the track for Ballarat trainers, highlighted by the father and son team of Tony and Calvin McEvoy claiming the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double with Half Yours and the Henry Dwyer-trained Asfoora claiming her third international Group 1 victory in the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp in France.

A thrill for his owners and trainer Mitch Freedman, Attrition ensured the spotlight remained on Ballarat by finishing fourth in the Group 1 W.S. Cox Plate behind Via Sistina at odds of 40-1.

Archie Alexander kept the Ballarat flag flying, saddling up third placegetter Deal Done fast in the Group 1 Victoria Derby.

The BTC is hoping to carry the current momentum into cup day on Saturday 6 December.

 

Chief executive officer Peter Downs said preparations for cup day were tracking nicely.

“Package sales have been good, but there is still plenty of opportunity for people to get involved,” he said.

“We had a really good year last year and we are hoping to improve on it this year.

“Things are shaping up well. The race program looks like it will be really strong again – a similar race program to last year.

“Last year’s cup race had a capacity field and was won locally by Dan O’Sullivan, so we’re hoping to see something as good, if not better again this year.”

Berkeley Square, who will likely run in the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington this Saturday, looms as a potential contender again this year.

The six-year-old gelding enhanced his strong record in major country cup races when third in last month’s Group 3 Geelong Cup won by Torranzino.

He finished second in last year’s Group 3 Bendigo Cup (2400m) in the lead-up to his Ballarat Cup triumph. His path to the Ballarat Cup also included placings in the Coongy Cup, Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Zipping Classic, all at Stakes level.

 

In what the BTC hopes is a sign of things to come, its Ladies Day meeting attracted a sell-out crowd of 300 upstairs in the Terrace Dining Room.

Guests enjoyed a delicious two-course meal, accompanied by some formalities about the club’s charity for the day Hand in Hand Ballarat, and entertainment performances from Laura Fitzgibbon and Frankie Says Sax.

“We had double our best attendance to the day this year, which was really pleasing,” Downs said.

“We’re hoping the cup pushes off that and becomes bigger too.”

The club raised $2809 for Hand in Hand Ballarat.

Downs said racegoers could look forward to a few slight tweaks to this year’s Cup entertainment.

“We are doing a few things differently this year,” he said.

“We had a really good Kids Zone and family area last year, but we’ve moved that to be a bit more central so people can be closer to the action, while having just as much fun.

“But mainly we are building on what was a very good year last year.

“And of course we’d love another local winner.

“Last year, Berkeley Square was one of only a few locals, but hopefully we see a few more contenders this year.”

For Ballarat Cup day packages and information, visit country.racing.com/ballarat/calendar/ballarat-cup.