After a winter which saw nearly every meeting at the club postponed or abandoned due to rain, Gordon said it feels like everything is coming together for Derby Day.

Orange trainer Michael Plummer has nominated two runners for the Derby Day meeting, with Sovereign Default and Hoffa Express

Without doubt the biggest social event on the local racing calendar, the day synonymous with the colours black and white also looks set to feature a number of high-quality races.

“Spectacular nominations,” Gordon said after the numbers were released on Monday.

“It’s looking really good and we might split that maiden and get it to eight races and it’s going to be a great day.”

The maiden Gordon referred to is the Maiden Handicap (1000m) which attracted a whopping 38 nominations, easily the most of any of the seven races set down.

The Benchmark 60 Handicap (1000m), which had 21 nominations, shapes as the day’s feature event with the likes of the in-form Brat Attack, from the Ray Hartley stable in Tamworth, put forward alongside Wellington standout Cheeky and Brett Thompson’s Landuar.

Brat Attack has scored wins at Inverell and Scone this preparation, sandwiched by a second-placed finish at Muswellbrook, while Cheeky ran at Randwick on Saturday and both of Landuar’s past two starts have been on metro tracks.

As well as the excitement around the races and the crowd, there is also much fanfare for Gordon and the Turf Club about the appointment of Damien Johnston.

Johnston has filled the track manager curating role at the track, with Derby Day one of the first meetings to be held under his watch.

“It’s good, there’s a new energy and he’s got 20-odd years of experience in greenkeeping,” Gordon said.

“He’ll just bring some new ideas and put his touch on things. It will take some time and might not be soon by next year maybe and when we reopen after getting the drainage work done there will be touches of Damien Johnson all over the facilities.”

In terms of the weather, which has plagued racing in Dubbo in recent months, Gordon said it couldn’t be looking better as the club prepares to welcome its biggest crowd of the year trackside.

The forecast at this stage is for a only partly cloudy day in the low twenties.

“It will be perfect weather and there might be a mill or two of rain on Thursday so that just means we won’t have to water the track,” Gordon said.

The nominations could yet swell further, with nominations extended until 11am on Tuesday for another of the Benchmark 60 Handicaps.

The final fields will be released on Thursday.