Short-priced favourite Fighting Harada ($2.10, Dean Yendall) sat behind the leaders and swooped to the front on the home turn but that left him vulnerable to something flashing home late.

It was Ammoudi Bay ($7.90, Micky Dee) that charged home late to win by a long-head from Lindsey Smith's Adelaide Ace ($10.30, John Allen) with Fighting Harada another short half-head away third.

Wilde said he had just recovered from the Grand Annual when Ammoudi Bay flew home.

"My heart rate had just come down and it just went back up again in the last 50 metres," he said.

"Great ride, I thought, from Micky Dee. The Terang form is stacking up from the Cup meeting. Everyone thought that being on the rails was a big advantage.

"He ran well. He was just buried away and he's got a really good turn-of-foot when that happens."

The winning jockey said he had the sit.

"I was able to come off the favourite's back," Yendall said.

"I had a lapful of horse. It is pretty hard to get past Fighting Harada and we've done a good job in the end.

"Today is probably more about riding the horse to suit him. He can get going and he's a bit tricky to ride, so you've just got to bury him away and get him as relaxed as possible and then have one last crack at them."

MICHAEL Bellizia always dreamed of getting a winner at the Warrnambool carnival.

On Thursday, it became a reality. Ocular - trained in Cranbourne at Shea Eden's stables - was too good for Kalkarni Royal and the Daniel Bowman-trained Capriccio.

"We've been coming down for six or seven years. A mate of mine, who passed away last month, first brought me down here," Bellizia said.

"Due to coming down, I got to meet Shea here, and due to meeting Shea here, I was able to get a horse and get a winner.

"It's amazing how it's all worked out."

Eden said Ocular was initially bound for the Wangoom Handicap but didn't get a start.

"We were quite bullish about him running really well in the Wangoom but it wasn't to be so this is a nice consolation," he said.

"I don't think he was really comfortable where he was in that going. I reckon he was ducking and diving a little bit.

"He's a horse and we needed to get his rating up a bit. Hopefully we can set our sights on maybe Queensland. He is a horse that does appreciate a bit of cut out of the ground so it is his time of year."

The first lady of racing Gai Waterhouse went home with the perfect record at the May carnival - one starter, one winner.

The fabulously named Butter Blonde, with Michael Walker in the saddle, won a two-year-old handicap over 1200m.

"What a great name - Butter Blonde," Waterhouse said.

"We programmed her for this race, quite some time out. We wanted to have a runner down here.

"We were hoping (connections) the Rosemont boys - Nigel Austin and Anthony Mithen - might be here but it wasn't to be.

"She did everything right. She's hopefully got more wins in store."

Waterhouse is a regular at the carnival and said the atmosphere kept her coming back.

"It is lovely. It brings a lot people together," she said.

"They come here for a few days - they might come here two, three or four days.

"They come to play golf, they come to watch the races, they come to wine and dine - sometimes wine a little bit too much."

Butter Blonde ($6) was able to jump to the front. Walker gave the Choiser filly a breather before the home turn and then shot clear, holding off $2.50 favourite, Ciaron Maher's Under The Dunes, to win by 1.25 lengths, with $3.20 elect, Matty Williams' Royal Fox, flashing home for third.

A perfectly-timed ride by talented jockey Tommy Ryan gifted the well-supported Valac a win in the opening race, a 3200m novice hurdle.

Ryan was prepared to sit just off the pace behind early leaders Launch Time and Hierarchal and cruised into the race approaching the last, flushing out second favourite the Paddy Payne-trained Eckhart ($2.60, Aaron Kuru).

Ryan urged the $1.70-favourite clear and they held off Eckart to win by 2.25 lengths, well clear of the third-placed Eric Musgrove-trained Zoffany Rocket ($18.60, Ronan Short) a further nine lengths away.

The win took Valac's record to 10 wins for the Tom Dabernig/Ben Hayes stable.

It also continued a long history of the Hayes family's involvement in jumps racing. They also won the 2019 Warrnambool Cup with Furrion.

Hayes was delighted.

"It was a big thrill. I thought Tommy rode him excellent today," he said.

"He got him into a lovely position. He got him out at the right time and he was really strong to the line.

"With him, he's an old horse now so he took a couple of runs to get his base fitness.

"You've just got to school him. We've got Tommy Ryan, who rides work for us when he's available, and he does such a good job.

"We've always had one or two (jumps horses). It goes right back and I do enjoy it as well. I'd love to continue it and when you get winners like this it's so rewarding.

"He's won 10 races now for us and over $400,000."

Ryan said the track was sticky. "He carried me everywhere," he said.

"We were going down the inner and going to places where we shouldn't be going. When you can travel like that you can go there.

"He had an easy passage going to the last. He's very exciting. He does everything on the bridle.

"He's the nearest thing to driving a rally car."

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