“Next big thing” Mr. Audacious lived up to his huge reputation with a daring display tonight in a heat of the Group 2 SJC Concreting Ballarat Cup (450m).

Trained at Kilmany, near Sale, by Rachael Busuttil, Mr. Audacious was bold and brash, stopping the clock in a scintillating 24.79sec – one-tenth of a second (less than 2L) off the 24.69sec track record set by Silver Lake in February last year.

Mr. Audacious, which turns two years old next Wednesday, registered his fifth win from only seven starts.

The “not for sale at any price” new kid on the block recently lowered the 450-metre track record, clocking 24.66sec, in a G2 Shepparton Cup heat prior to finishing fifth in the final.

Other highlights to emerge from Friday night’s heats included:

• Reigning Ballarat Cup ‘king’ Ferdinand Boy gets a chance for back-to-back ‘crowns’ after a 25.04sec success. And he’ll now chase a fourth country cup victory, having also won last year’s G2 Healesville Cup and G2 Shepparton Cup.
• Compliance upstaged pre-post favourite and dual country cups winner Typhoon Sammy, which finished third, in 25.11sec. The G1 Silver Chief runner-up, and recent G2 Shepparton Cup finalist, notched his ninth win from 16 starts.
• Recent Shepparton Cup winner Substantial won in a thriller over 2020 Ballarat Cup winner Yozo Bale, which has also made the final. Trainer Anthony Azzopardi won the 2016 Ballarat Cup with Zambora Brockie.
• G2 Warragul Cup winner and G2 Shepparton Cup runner-up Robbie Rotten – trained at Pearcedale by 19-year-old prodigy Kayla Cottrell – qualified for the final when a gallant second to Mr. Audacious. His overall time was a sizzling 24.96sec.