Bargain buy runs rivals ragged at Ballarat

Locals made a triumphant start to Ballarat Cup Day, as Pat Kearney’s $5,000 purchase Tempt The Gods ran his rivals ragged in the $150,000 The Courier Benchmark 78.

The three-year-old gelding started the $13 outsider of the small field but got a soft lead under John Allen and never looked like being caught after kicking hard on the bend.

Twice a winner as a two-year-old, Tempt The Gods had been soundly beaten in his first two runs back, but Kearney said his trackwork since had been immense.

Add in the step up to 1400m and the seemingly annual Ballarat Cup-morning rainfall, and the Ballarat-based horseman was very confident once his galloper turned for home.

Undersized as he is, Tempt The Gods has now turned his $5,000 Magic Millions Tasmania purchase price into $114,660, and there is more city success in sight.

“He’s a small, scrawny, ugly looking animal, but he’s very tough,” Kearney said with a laugh.

“He’s prepared to have a crack and when I saw him ping the gates and lead, and Johnny basically walked on him, I thought he would be pretty hard to catch with that turn of foot.

“His work on Tuesday was super, and I was coming here pretty confident… I was rapt (with the rain).

“I was half thinking of going down to Tasmania with him, but I think there’s a three-year-old BM70 worth $150,000 coming up, so we’ll look at that.”