STAWELL trainer Paul Jones celebrated a win in the $200,000 Listed Ballarat Cup on Saturday with seven-year-old Mujadale claiming the top prize.
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It was the first time Jones had a runner in the 2200-metre event.
Mujadale took the lead after 100 metres and then stayed in front for the rest of the contest.
Darren Weir’s At First Sightloomed up at the 300-metre mark but, from that point, Mujadale found another gear and drew away to beat At First Sight, $8.50, by three-and-a-quarter lengths, with Peter Moody’s Fat Al, $26, running third.
Jones said Mujadale was ready for the cup after coming off a win in the $50,000 Ararat Gold Cup earlier this month.
He said he was thrilled with the win.
‘‘The race played out pretty much how we expected. We thought there might have been one or two leaders in the race,’’ he said.
‘‘One went wide and we were more than happy to lead.’’
Jones said Mujadale had been up and down this season, but overall he had been happy with the gelding.
‘‘His run at Seymour was super, and he was only a few lengths from the winner, but then he had no luck at Horsham at all,’’ he said.
‘‘At Ararat, he pulled up really well, so we were happy going into this race at Ballarat.’’
Jones said he would look at racing Mujadale at Werribee later in the year.
He said the key to the win was a change in when he brought Mujadale into work for his spring campaign, leaving it later in the year to try to avoid some of the better-performed horses.
‘‘Last year, we had him up at the height of the spring and we found once he went up a level he was finding it a bit tough,’’ he said.
‘‘This year, we aimed for a bit later on. The internationals have been and gone by then and our plans have worked out well so far.’’
The TAB had Mujadale at $13 to claim the 2200-metre event.
Mujadale was led to victory by Ballarat jockey Kevin Forrester.
Forrester said he had no hesitation in taking Mujadale to the lead as the field passed the winning post the first time and then rated the horse to perfection.
‘‘Down the back, it was just a working gallop and he went to sleep,’’ he said.
‘‘I looked around four times down the back straight and said what are you blokes doing back there?’’
Stawell trainers Terry and Karina O’Sullivan also had a run in the cup with four-year old gelding Happy As Hell finishing 11th.