Keast ran off nine metres and hit the line well clear of the rest of the field to claim the title.

Kate Jones finished ahead of the field in the Women’s 120m Gift, running off a nine-metre mark also.

The Cooper Stable also had a strong day with Angus Burns picking up two sashes after winning the under-20 120m and the 400m finals.

Stable coach Marcus Cooper said 

“It was a huge effort from Angus, after Terang I thought he was going to take a bit to be beaten and he ran really well at the home town event,” he said.

“He has improved a fair bit, especially in the 400m, considering two years ago he was scared to run that distance.

“At the moment, he is very determined and he trains very hard on the track.”

Paddy Turner was also one Cooper was keen to see in action.

“I was hoping Paddy would go a bit further in the Gift, so that was disappointing but breaking the start in the heat did not help,” he said.

“So he will get an extra 400m at training for that.”

Caitlyn Nicholson also had a solid outing and continued to make improvements ahead of her next event.

Danielle Segedinski was the other runner who Cooper singled out after strong performances.

“Danielle was very good, I was really happy with the way she ran on Saturday,” he said.

“She is very hard on herself, she needs to ease up and learn to enjoy it a bit more but she has a lot of talent.”

It was a disappointing turnout for the second Ararat Gift of 2017 after last year’s event was re-scheduled to March.

The low numbers showed, as scratchings became a regular occurance throughout the day’s schedule.

The Cooper stable will return to the track in a fortnight, as it competes at the Maryborough Gift on January 1.