MUSWELLBROOK Race Club’s $25,000 Bengalla Cup (1280m) might be one of the best fields HNWRA starter Mal Hunt releases at Skellatar Park on Saddle Up Sunday.
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That’s the opinion of Muswellbrook general manager Duane Dowell after his club continued the recent trend of flooding nominations by taking 166 nominations for the seven-race TAB Saddle Up Sunday meeting.
26 of those were in the feature Bengalla Cup and not only was the Muswellbrook club able to celebrate the good quantity for the cup and support races but also the quality of the Bengalla Cup field.
Included in the Cup nominations were a number of top-end 70 benchmark raters as well as 80-plus benchmarked horses like Kris Lees’ Fine Bubbles (89), Allan Denham’s First Class Ticket (80) and Todd Howlett’s Tamworth Cup winner Tableaux (82).
“I’d say it would be close to the best field we’ve ever had for a Bengalla Cup,” Dowell said yesterday.
“We have Muswellbrook Cup winner Akamas (Sean Thomas), nominated, Binalong Road (Mack Griffith) was one of the favourites for the Country Championships and Eanie Meanie (Mary Moses) won the Bengalla Cup last year.
“Then there is Eye Striker (Ken Tynan).
“He won the Aberdeen Cup here and Mystery Flight is a winner here and won the other day at Dubbo (Macquarie Sprint). So it’s a pretty smart field.
“If we had a Muswellbrook Cup field like that we’d be pretty chuffed.”
Cessnock trainer Jeremy Sylvester has also entered Youthful King, the last-start Jungle Juice Cup winner while Todd Howlett could have two good chances in Aghamore, who has won twice at Skellatar Park, as well as Tableaux.
Kim Waugh has also nominated Harry Hotspur.
Dowell was delighted with the response, especially with Tamworth and Coonabarabran racing Friday and Saturday before Sunday’s Saddle Up Sunday.
He expects a good crowd to round out what will be a fabulous day of racing.
Meanwhile, Shadow Force (Kylie Kennedy) and late nomination Conroy’s Gap (Gayna Williams) received the 62kg topweight for Friday’s $15,000 Jascab Winter Sprinter (1000m) at Tamworth.
They have 2.5kg more than Tamworth-trained Jefferson Park (Craig Martin).
BENGALLA CUP NOMINATIONS
Sunday - 1280m
Aghamore (Todd Howlett) 76, Akamas (Sean Thomas) 68, Bettabet Red (Fred Cowell) 66, Binalong Road (Mack Griffith) 79, Eanie Meanie (Mary Moses) 76, Eye Striker (Ken Tynan) 74, Fine Bubbles (Kris Lees) 89, First Class Ticket (Allan Denham) 80, Fort Sumter (Pat Farrell) 67, Goldstone (Robert Davies) 74, Harry Hotspur (Kim Waugh) 78, Iwilldoit (Brett Thompson) 69, Keep It Danish (Sue Grills), Knot Out (Clint Lundholm) 77, Mr Entertainer (Grant Allard) 68, Mystery Flight (Bill Farrow) 76, Power Supply (Kris Lees) 67, Rumeron (Kris Lees) 65, Sahara Chill (Greg Bennett) 64, Sambora (Karen Fox) 60, Sense Of Play (Brett Partelle) 66, She’s Angelic (Paul Perry) 57, Sir Will Do (Robyn Pritchard) 68, Strong Boy (Gayna Williams) 68, Tableaux (Todd Howlett) 82, Youthful King (Jeremy Sylvester) 69.
