Two-time Stawell Gift winner Josh Ross will be the crowd favourite at Central Park on Monday.
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The 38-year-old goes into Gift semi-finals with a realistic chance of reaching the rich final.
Ross overcame a stumble out the blocks to take his heat on Saturday - a performance which thrilled the Stawell Gift hall of fame member.
"It feels sensational.
"For the last three years it's been a bit of battle to find form, however, I've changed environment, changed a lot of things this year, 12 months of solid training. My results speak for themselves."
He said his strength in the last 40m of the 120m dash had been instrumental in getting the win off the backmark of two metres.
Ross is one of only three men to win two Stawell Gifts since the event was first run in 1878.
He won off 7m in 2003 and scratch in 2005.
Ross has a winnable semi-final.
Outmarker Lachlan Sheffield (9m) shapes as his main danger. He is among the favourites after winning a heat in 12.23 seconds - 0.44 faster than Ross.
Ross will have Matt Carter (3.5m) alongside him, which should help drag him through the field.
Dhruv Rodrigues-Chico is the Gift favourite after a scintilating heat run.
He ran the fastest time of the day, being the only sub-12 second winner with 11.91.
This is the 20-year-old's first time at Stawell in what is his debut Victorian Athletic League season.
Coming off a soccer background which included stints at NPL clubs, Rodrigues-Chico has quickly developed into a winner.
He has taken out the Frankston and Hastings Gifts, and also saluted in the 70m at Bendigo.
Rodrigues-Chico said he had been a little shaky at the blocks, but once up and going had found his rhythm.
He said while he felt he had a little left on the line, he had not held too much back - wanting to make sure he got the job done.
Conor Loughnan, Leonard King and Jason Bailey are other leading hopes in the semi-finals.
BACKMARKER Maddie Coates believes she is a chance to win her way through to another Stawell Women's Gift final on Monday.
Coates, who has the daunting task of starting off one-metre behind scratch, caught the eye with her run heat on Saturday.
While she had to settle for second, she did enough to progress with one of the best losing times.
Coates said she was "pretty happy" with the run considering she was still feeling a little sore off the back of the national track and field championships.
She said she loved the atmosphere at Stawell and would be giving it her all.
"What do I have to lose."
Coates ran 14.345 seconds for the 120m and has a lot of ground to make up if she is to get near the fastest qualifers - Alexia Loizou (13.856), Sophia Fighera (13.925) and Bree Masters (13.976).
And she will have to do that immediately, having drawn the same semi-final as Fighera.
SEMI-FINALS DRAW
STAWELL GIFT
1 SEMI-FINAL: Michael Romanin 1.5, Luke Stevens 3.25, Jara Konteh 5.5, Fejiro Omuvwie 6, Aaron Leferink 6.5, Jack Newman 8, Mason Keast 8.75
2 SEMI-FINAL: Joshua Ross 2, Matt Carter 3.5, Spencer Browne 6, Jayden Gilfillan 8, Lachlan Sheffield 9, Callum James 9.5, Jordan Tronnolone 10
3 SEMI-FINAL: Harrison Hunt 2.5, Isaac Dunmall 4, John Evans 6.25, Daniel Sonsini 7.25, Ted Belcher 8.25, Max Punchihewa 9.75, Jason Bailey 10
4 SEMI-FINAL: Jake Penny 3, Michael Hanna 4.75, Bradley Jones 6.5, Aidan Green 7.25, Conor Loughnan 7.5, Paddy Turner 8.25, Luke Mitchell 10
5 SEMI-FINAL: Cameron Searle 3.25, Max Mason 5, Dominic Mah 6, Kenneth Vuong 6.5, Leonard King 6.75, Nicholas Antonino 8.25, Bikramjeet Singh 10
6 SEMI-FINAL: Jordan Shelley 3.25, Liam Moss 4.75, Teri Fragiadakis 5.25, Luke Houlihan 6.5, Dhruv Rodrigues Chico 7, Harry Kerr 8.25, Matt Burleigh 10
WOMEN'S GIFT
1 SEMI-FINAL: Kendra Hubbard 2.75, Holly Dobbyn 3.25, Ebony Lane 5.75, Taylah Perry 6.25, Keely Henderson 7.25, Adelaide Robertson 9.75, Jody Richards 11
2 SEMI-FINAL: Lauren Wells 2.5, Hana Basic 2.75, Olivia Gross 6.5, Caitlin Hawks 7.5, Brittanny Brymer 7.5, Lauren Keating 10.25, Cara Boustead 11
3 SEMI-FINAL: Elizabeth Forsyth 1.25, Tarren Forsyth 4.5, Clare De Salis 6.5, Natassia Messent 7.75, Kysha Praciak 7.75, Zoe Neale 8.75, Katherine Katsanevakis 10.25
4 SEMI-FINAL: Mia Gross 0.75, Bree Masters 4, Kayla Montagner 5, Tayla Philis 6.5, Laura Downie 7.25, Davina Strauss 8.25, Edwina Kidd 10.5
5 SEMI-FINAL: Maddie Coates -1, Abby Chapman 3.5, Liv Ryan 5, Sophia Fighera 5, Olivia Fien 7, Elyssia Kenshole 8.75, Kirsty Stevens 10.75
6 SEMI-FINAL: Nicole Kay 3.75, Ellie Whittingham 5.25, Torrie Lewis 5.5, Alexia Loizou 5.75, Stephanie Richards 7.25, Taylah Stallan 9.25, Zoe Glassborow 11
MONDAY HIGHLIGHTS
10.30am: under-20 400m final
11.30: masters' 100m handicap final
11.40: Herb Hedemann Invitation 1600m Handicap
11.50: Women's Gift semi-finals
12.23pm: Stawell Gift semi-finals
1.02: backmarkers' 400m handicap
1.11: Women's 400m handicap final
1.20: little aths 400m handicap final
1.30: 800m handicap final
1.40: 200m handicap final
1.50: Women's Gift final
2.05: backmarkers invitation 120m handicap
2.20: Stawell Gift final
2.45: 3200m handicap final
3.00: masters' 300m handicap final
3.10: little aths boys' 100m handicap final
3.20: little aths girls' 100m handicap final
3.30: 100m handicap final
3.40: frontmarkers' 400m handicap final
4.00: little aths 1600m handicap