Stawell Gift 2019 champion Dhruv Rodrigues-Chico will have to defend his open title from a tough 0.75-metre mark when action gets underway at Central Park this weekend.

Rodrigues-Chico has had to wait a year for a back-to-back attempt and as well as the uncertainty of a final field will also contend with the uncertainty of a new crop of talented runners.

Rodrigues-Chico was a red-hot favourite to win the 2019 gift on his first attempt, but was running off a seven-metre handicap at the time, a luxury he won’t enjoy this year.

He will also take his rivalry with 2018 gift winner Jacob Despard onto Stawell’s 120-metre grass track after the pair filled the first two places in Victorian championships.

Despard is second on the backmarker at 1.25 metres.

The women’s gift field might also open considerably with some of the runners stuck in Brisbane under a COVID-19 lockdown and uncertainty surrounding others, including defending champion Lexi Loizou.

If Loizou runs she will have to overcome a mark of half a metre from scratch.

Women’s backmarker is Maddie Coates at a metre behind scratch, while teenage sensation Torrie Lewis has a 0.5-metre mark.

Many female runners have been running in Queensland, opening considerable speculation about how the event will unfold.

Apart from the marque 120-metre events, the gift weekend is packed with a variety of running challenges.

Distance race

This year’s carnival features a new endurance race that has attracted some of the best distance runners in Australia and the world.

An IA Vitality Invitational 3200 offers $6500 in prizemoney and is part of a big Easter Monday of racing on April 5.

Distance-running star Stewart McSweyn, who broke Australian records in the 1500, 3000 and 10,000 events last year, will headline the field.

Emerging talent Matthew Ramsden, half-marathon record-holder Brett Robinson, Commonwealth half-marathon champion Jack Rayner, Olympic finalist Ryan Gregson, 10,000-metre Olympic finalist David McNeill and Commonwealth Games 1500-metre star Jordy Williamsz will join McSweyn.

McSweyn has become one of the best runners in the world and while hoping to win the invitational also wants to set a world-class mark for the 3200m distance on grass. 

“As a kid I followed the Stawell Gift and used to watch it on television. Some great names have raced at Stawell, so it will be really good to finally be a part of it,” McSweyn said.

“It’s the biggest athletic event on TV and I get to run there, it’s pretty cool.”

McSweyn has already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 5000m and 10,000m events and is also likely to run in the 1500m. But he said his favourite distance was across three kilometres, or two miles.

“It’s an in-between distance which for me is the sweet spot. I’ll be off scratch and going full tilt the whole way,” he said.

McSweyn will be the race backmarker.

The AIA Vitality Invitational 3200m is scheduled to feature alongside Powercor Stawell Gift and Change Our Game Women’s Gift finals.

Stawell Gift back and middle handicaps –

Open gift: Dhruv Rodrigues-Chico 0.75, Jacob Despard 1.25, Fejiro Omuvwie 1.75, Michael Romanin 1.75, Leonard King 3, Aaron Stubbs 3, Liam Gander 4, Michael Hanna 4, Liam Moss 4, Aaron Leferink 4, Nathan Riali 4,  Matt Carter 4.25, Michael Hansford 4.5, Will Johns 4.5, Max Mason 4.75, Preston Degenham 5, Tom Templeton 5, Nabill Khan 5, Conor Loughnan 5, Jack Odea 5, Isaac Dunmall 5.25, Ryan McNamara 5.5, Tristan Scheirs 5.5, Jake Ireland 6.25, Jarred Gilroy 6.5, Luke Houlihan 6, Lucas Wright 6, Munashe Hove 6, Jack Peris 6, John Howe 6, James Kermond 6, Asthika Liyanaarachchi 6, Lane Whittaker 6, Jack Wolff 6, Domonic Mah 6, Alex Murphy 6.25, Peter Thoroughgood 6.25, Kieran Gordon 6.5, Eli Hall 6.5, Christopher Li 6.5, Kash Powell 6.5, Matt Dinan 6.75, Jasper Nettlefold 6.5, Eugene Read-Spinks 6.5, Colin Skeen 6.5, Kenneth Vuong 6.5. Campbell Butson 7, Tom Byrne 7, Xavier Cross 7, Brett Richards 7, Dathan Deslandes 7, Carl Morehouse 7, Brendan Matthews 7,  Sebastian Pretorius 7, Ryan Ilet 7, Hamish Lindstrom 7, Jack Newman 7, Will Stringer 7, Daniel Sonsini 7, Remo Pascale 7, Thomas Tucker 7, Tim Echebach 7.25, Maki Loukeris 7.25, Patrick Martin 7.5, Jack Norris 7.5, Rupert Lugo 7.5, Elijah Cross 7.5, Cooper Williams 7.5, Lachlan Dixon 7.5, Luke Eckford 7.5, Endale Mekonnen 7.5, Tom Perry 7.5, John Evans 7.75, Hugh Hoffmann 7.75.

Women’s gift: Maddie Coates -1, Torrie Lewis 0.5, Alexia Loizou 0.5, Sophie Fighera 1, Kiara Reddingius 3, Kendra Hubbard 3.25, Jessica Payne 3.5, Ilana Grandine 3.5, Tara Domeschenz 3.75, Grace Kelly 4.25, Holly Dobbyn 4.5, Kysha Praciak 4.5, Zoe Neale 4.5, Ellie Whitingham 4.75, Jesse McKenna 5.5, Olivia Russo 5.5, Taylah Perry 5.5, Chiara Santiglika 5.75, Dianne Waight 5.75, Dior Scholz 6, Grace O’Dwyer 6, Elizabeth Ruach 6, Julia Phillips 6, Tapasu Paea 6, Ellie Keratianos 6.5, Kayla Montagner 7, Mikayla Round 7, Remo Pascale 7, Kyle Perrin 7, Souya Visvanathan 7.25, Cassandra Wanglecouteur 7.25, Bella Pasquali 7.25, Ebony Newton 7.25, Nicole Ogle 7.5, Jemma Pollard 7.5, Bianca Horne 7.5.

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The entire March 31, 2021 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire March 31, 2021 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!