Can Shima Shine Reclaim Ballarat Record?

STAR sprinter Shima Shine will be out to reclaim his previously held Ballarat 450 metre track record when he steps out in Wednesday night's Anniversary Trophy.

And if he's to do so he'll need to defeat Pirate Pete in the process, the chaser which eclipsed his previous 24.75 benchmark with a breathtaking 24.70 run in November.

FIELDS AND FORM BALLARAT WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Worth a cool $8,500-to-the-winner, Wednesday night's Anniversary Trophy has brought together a fantastic field, with Shima Shine and Pirate Pete joined by Bendigo and Ballarat Cup hero Yozo Bale.

Shima Shine, undefeated in each of his four Ballarat appearances, exits box four in his quest to claim back the 450 metre time-standard, following on from his third place finish behind Aeroplane Eric in Saturday night's Group 2 Warragul Cup.

The Topgun winning son of Barcia Bale went into the race as favourite after his mind-boggling 25.19 track record run in a heat of the Warragul showpiece a week earlier.

Victorious at 27 of his 45 starts, Shima Shine's last Ballarat outing was way back in August 2019 when he put on a galloping exhibition to break the track record with a rampaging 24.75 run.

Making for a terrific spectacle on Wednesday night is the appearance of Yozo Bale from the rails alley and the hugely talented Pirate Pete in trap eight.

Boasting an exceptional box eight record for trainer Jason Thompson, Pirate Pete tackles the Anniversary Cup fresh off a 25.62 victory on Warragul Cup night when downing a talented field of free for all opposition.

Yozo Bale's presence in box one for trainer Correy Grenfell only further adds to the intrigue of the race.

Winner at 19 of his 44 starts for $164,000 in stakes, Yozo Bale can't run the overall time his most fancied opponents can but with near faultless box manners and the benefit of the inside alley, look for the dual group winning son of Fernando Bale to give the race one almighty shake.

Ballarat hosts a strong 12-card on Wednesday night with one of the more interesting events race five, a grade five final over 450 metres.

Some sensational heat performances were turned in last week including that from Gold Driller which bombed the start before scoring in fantastic fashion in 25.25 for trainer Brooke Ennis.

Qualifying quickest was Einsteinium for Anthony Azzopardi, carving out a slick 25.15 to ensure he starts right in the mix for the finale.