The Whittlesea trainer-driver’s belief in Cincinnati Kid has never wavered and the former Kiwi entire repaid him in spades when he recorded his maiden Barastoc Grand Circuit success.

“That was just a great field, there were lots of good horses, but I’ve always thought he was as good as them with the right run and that’s what he got tonight,” an elated Peace said.

“This is my second Ballarat Cup, I won it in 1994 with Dark Paul, but it means a lot more with this horse because I’d be struggling without him.”

Cincinnati Kid notched his maiden Group 1 win at his ninth attempt when he flashed home along the inside to take out the 2710-metre mobile. His previous best result at the elite level was a third in last year’s South Australian Cup.

The eight-year-old served notice that a big win might not be far away with a luckless second to Tanabi Bromac in last week’s Group 2 Shepparton Cup and he took full advantage of a cushy run at Ballarat.

Drawing inside the back row allowed him the trail behind leader Mister Zion and a 32-second first quarter on the back of an 83.8-second lead time meant he was always going to be hard to hold out if the run presented itself.

After a 30.5-second second split, Mister Zion broke the field up with a 27.7-second third section, but that effort told on the leader rounding the home bend and he shifted away from the pegs to present Cincinnati Kid with the run.

The $12 chance sprinted quickly to hit the lead midway down the straight before holding off resolute big guns Mr Feelgood ($3.20) and Karloo Mick ($6.40) late to claim victory.

The final split was 27.8 seconds for a 1:59.8 mile rate.

He finished a metre clear of a gallant Karloo Mick, who sat parked outside Mister Zion from the 2000m, but Mr Feelgood’s driver Anthony Butt protested for interference over the concluding stages, which the stewards upheld.

Mister Zion ($9.50) battled on gamely to finish fourth with $5 second favourite Sammy Maguire finishing fifth after not getting out until late after racing three back the pegs.

“You’re always worried (about getting a run) on a track with no sprint lane, but I noticed in the run the leader wanted to shift off the pegs when there was no pressure,” Peace said.

“When the acid test is applied they tend to do it again and I just hoped he’d get a cart-and-a-half away from the pegs and give me a run and that’s what happened.”

The victory was Cincinnati Kid’s 22^nd from 98 starts and the $80,831 first prize swelled his earnings to $406,000.