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Hawkesbury Race Club has received a record 244 nominations for their massive 10-race Hawkesbury Cup program this Saturday.
"It's a tremendous response, especially as we are a week earlier than normal this year to avoid a clash with the nearby Hawkesbury Show, and coming straight off the back of the Royal Randwick autumn carnival," said Hawkesbury Race Club's CEO, James Heddo.
"There are 34 entries for the $200,000 Group 3 Richmond Club Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m), with all the leading stables represented.
"Additionally, we have strong numbers across all of our supporting races on the day.
"The track is currently rated a Soft 5 and if we can hopefully avoid some rain forecast for later in the week, I'm confident that we will present an ideal surface for the 10-race card."
Sydney's leading trainer Chris Waller, chasing his third Cup success, has six entries in the Richmond Club Hawkesbury Gold Cup, having previously scored with Coup Ay Tee in 2013 and Amovatio in 2016.
Trainer John O'Shea, who won last year's Cup with Kirwan's Lane, will be represented this year by Berdibek.
Team Hawkes, which has won four of the last nine runnings of the Cup with Leebaz, Kingsguard, Amangiri and Archedemus, has entered Superium and recent Group 3 Neville Sellwood Stakes winner Zeyrek.
There are two Victorian entries for the Cup; Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr with Visinari, and Bendigo-based Josh Julius with last year's Group 3 Craven Plate (1800m) runner-up Just Folk.
Hawkesbury's leading trainer Brad Widdup has entered last start Warwick Farm winner Ausbred Flirt for both the Cup and Benchmark 88 Handicap (1500m). He also has nominated Short Shorts, who last month broke the track record in winning a Kembla Grange Qualifier (1400m) of the Provincial-Midway Championships, for the Hawkesbury Crown.
Hawkesbury will offer $1.6 million in prizemoney on Saturday and the rail is back in the TRUE position.
Gates open at 10.30am and the first race is scheduled for 11.25am.
