Our Voodoo Prince heads Weir’s Ballarat Cup nominations

Eight year old stayer Our Voodoo Prince is one of five horses Melbourne Cup winning trainer Darren Weir has nominated for the Listed $300,000 Ballarat Cup (2200m) at Ballarat on Saturday.

Our Voodoo Prince is one of five Darren Weir trained horses nominated for the Ballarat Cup. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Our Voodoo Prince is one of five Darren Weir trained horses nominated for the Ballarat Cup. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

The Ballarat Cup has attracted twenty-nine nominations with Weir’s other entrants being Akzar, Something To Share, Tilla Bell Rings and Tooleybuc Kid.

Till Belle Rings, Our Voodoo Prince and Akzar all went around in the $100,000 XXXX Gold Kyneton Cup (2000m) at Kyneton on November 4, finishing second, third and fourth behind the Robbie Laing trained Tristram’s Sun.

Something To Share is a winner at his last two starts, claiming the $20,000 St Arnaud Cup (2000m) on October 24 followed by a win in the $50,000 Ararat Cup (2000m) on November 8 while Tooleybuc Kid was beaten less than two lengths when fifth to The Offer in the Group 3 $300,000 Jayco Bendigo Cup (2400m) at Bendigo on October 28.

Weir has had a tremendous Melbourne Spring Carnival with numerous big race winner’s including the win of Prince Of Penzance in the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 3.

Sydney’s premiership winning trainer Chris Waller has entered Index Linked and Junoob, both coming off runs over the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Index Linked went around in the Group 1 $1m Longines Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 31 for an eleventh to Gailo Chop while Junoob was also out of contention when twelfth to Excess Knowledge in the Group 3 $300,000 Lexus Stakes (2500m) at Flemington on the same day.

New Zealand trainer Murray Baker is looking for more Australian dollars to take home across the Tasman and has entered Maygrove who led but weakened to finish tenth to Almoonqith in the Listed $150,000 Sandown Cup (3200m) at Sandown last Saturday.

Murray’s bank balance is already overflow after he won the Group 1 $3m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on October 17 with Mongolian Khan and collected a second Group 1 trophy with Turn Me Loose winning the $1m Emirates Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on November 7.

Caulfield trainer Robert Smerdon has nominated his consistent mare Ungrateful Ellen for the Ballarat Cup following her fourth to Lucia Valentina in the Group 2 $300,000 Presto Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on November 7.

Smerdon said that Ungrateful Ellen is well placed under the handicap conditions of the Ballarat Cup and the 2200m will suit her.

“Her program was designed around going to the Matriarch and then the Zipping Classic and while she ran well in the Matriarch and probably wasn’t in the best part of the track we decided to bypass the Zipping Classic and go to the Ballarat Cup,” Smerdon told Racing.com.

“I think she’s better suited under the handicap conditions of the race rather than at weight-for-age in the Zipping Classic and the distance is ideal for her.

“She went to Sandown last Saturday and had a maintenance gallop and worked really well so she goes there in good form and she can hold her form through a preparation so she’s probably at the peak of her preparation right at this point.”

Peter Moody has nominated Imperial Lass and Wish Come True while Tony McEvoy has only one entrant, Sysmo.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.