Saturday, 31 March 2018:

Jacob Despard wanted to make a statement in the Stawell Gift heats and did just that by clocking the fastest heat time to become the one to beat for the semi-finals and final.

The 21-year-old said running the fastest time, of 12.21 seconds, had been his main objective going into his sixth visit to Stawell.

Having achieved it, he felt even more confident about his chances of collecting the first prize money of $40,000.

The Victorian-based Tasmanian has been installed $2 favourite, ahead of reigning champion Matt Rizzo $2.50 and Liam Moss $5.

Running off 4.5m, this will be only Despard's second appearance in a Stawell Gift semi-final.

He reached the second phase in 2015 but was run out by eventual Gift final winner Murray Goodwin.

Despard said he had no doubt he was reaping the benefits of a move to Victoria late last year.

He shifted to the mainland with fellow Tasmanian sprinter Jack Hale to try to take his running career to the next level.

Rizzo is in the mix to emulate the great Bill Howard and become only the second back-to-back winner of the Stawell Gift.

Only Despard ran a quicker time than Rizzo, who looked comfortable running 12.29.

Gift backmarker and US champion 110m hurdler Devon Allen made light work of his 1m handicap to win his heat in 12.47 and lock in a semi-final berth on his first trip to Australia.

A late entry, Allen, 23, was running competitively on grass for only the second time after winning the 200m at Devonport in the Christmas Carnivals.

He has been in Australia with girlfriend and Olympic 400m runner Morgan Mitchell, and will return to the US immediately after the Stawell Gift.

Gary Finegan (5.25m) looms as another major contender in the semi-finals after winning a heat in 12.30 along with Moss (5.5m), who won a heat in 12.32.

Two-time Stawell Gift winner Josh Ross finished third in his heat.

Ross said it was great to back at Stawell for the first time since 2013, although disappointed not to have performed better.

West Australian Kiara Reddingius (3m) produced the fastest time in the Stawell Women's Gift 120m heats, running 14.07 seconds in the seventh of 12 heats.

Reddingius said she had something to prove after being overlooked by for the heptathlon for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

Last year's women's gift winner, Liv Ryan, was scratched after she injured a hamstring earlier in the week.

The semi-finals and final will be run at Central Park on Monday.

AAP