Orange trainers Michael Plummer and Brian Gentle among favourites for highly-anticipated, $75,000 The Hotham

Launched in 2017, the 1200-metre, $75,000 feature at Ballarat is the richest maiden race in Victoria but make no mistake, it’s not just for horses that haven’t saluted yet and there’s no chance of a trainer sneaking in an unraced galloper loaded with potential.

The Hotham is aimed specifically at runners that just keep on turning up, those that seem destined to go their entire careers without a win.

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The final field is selected with a reverse ballot, as in the nominees with the most starts and least prizemoney are given preference, and shifts the focus to the at-times luckless gallopers who have never basked in the winners’ spotlight.

After 131 entries for this week’s 2018 edition, the final field’s release last Friday afternoon revealed there’s a real chance the monstrous, three-metre tall trophy and $30,000 winner’s cheque could be coming back to Towac Park.

Orange trainers Michael Plummer and Brian Gentle both have chances in the final field, the former one and the latter two, and more than that, they’re good chances too.

The early markets show Gentle’s All The Wine and Plummer’s Pujols as the two pre-race favourites, they sit at $4.50 and $4.60 respectively.

In those terms Gentle’s other chance, Rosamund, sits fifth of the 16-strong field, at $5.50. Incredibly, combined, the 16 acceptors have had 542 starts without a win.

“Orange will have almost a quarter of the field this year. It’s the day before The Everest, but who needs The Everest when you can potentially win The Hotham,” Plummer said, letting out a laugh after explaining his chance’s name is actually pronounced ‘Poo Holes’.

“It’s a great concept, it’s a bit of fun. It’s $30,000 to the winner so there’s a fair bit of prizemoney on offer, if you run 10^th there’s $3,000, and the trophy’s three metres high which is ridiculous. 

“I spoke to Brian about it and said I’ve got one there, a half token comment saying Pujols might be one for The Hotham because he’s had that many starts and he said ‘I’ve got two’, that’s the only reason I chucked the nom in.

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“With 26 starts he’s one of the more lightly-raced runners in it, he only just snuck in really. Pujols’ owner is going to fly down for it now, it’ll be good.”

There’s just five runners in the field that have less starts than Plummer’s five-year-old gelding, and there’s three that have had more than 50 in lengthy, albeit mediocre, careers.

Those three – last year’s runner-up Briconi ($10), Beau Dazzle ($31) and the Bryce Stanaway-trained Costano Mille ($34) – were the top three in the ballot, and all ran in the inaugural edition.

With 73 career starts for 10 placings and just $47,370 in prizemoney, eight-year-old Beau Dazzle topped that ballot.

Plummer’s not had Pujols for that long, he came to the Towac Park-based trainer’s stable from Mitchell Kearney’s team, having his first run in nine months on Thursday afternoon at Gosford.

On a soft 7 track he ran fourth over 1100 and showed promise, one of his nine career placings came in a second-up run too so there’s every suggestion money will come in for the gelding, which has claimed a tick over $30,000 in prizemoney.

”He’s not a bad horse really, he ran well in Gosford last week,” Plummer said.

Gentle’s All The Wine – with eight placings from 27 runs and $35,880 in prizemoney – comes into The Hotham following a fifth finish at Wellington in early September while Rosamund  – 36 starts for five placings and $35,290 – has run sixth in its last two starts, after a six-week let-up.