Maher Hoping Ballarat History Will be Made

There are precious few stakes races that current Black Type Trainer Premiership leader Ciaron Maher has not won, however it's the Ballarat Cup, close to home, that has proved to be elusive. That history could be overturned however when the stable saddles Future History in the $500,000 feature on Saturday at Ballarat's feature meeting. Beaten five lengths at Gr1 level by Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock) last time out is surely enough to prove very hard to beat here, with Future History (Showcasing-Likelihood, by Mizzen Mast) looking the class runner of the field. Currently drawn barrier 17, Future History looks very capable of being right in the finish especially off the back of his Gr3 JRA Cup (2040m) win two starts back, and it's worth noting that he will come in a few barriers as all of the emergencies are drawn inside him. Set to race over 2000m for the first time, the Paul Preusker trained Poison Chalice (Savabeel-Urban, by O'Reilly) was caught on the line last time out over the 1800m of the Gr3 Eclipse Stakes and if he can run out a strong 2000m, then he is right in with a leading chance. One thing is for sure, taking a line through the likes of recent stable feature races winners Bella Nipotina and Gringotts, the wide marble is unlikely to be a major factor.

Future History has drawn very wide on Saturday (pic: Mark Gatt)