CAPACITY fields will be a feature of Friday’s Tilstons BEC and Kents H Hardware Tradies Day at Towac Park.
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The Racing Orange meeting attracted 151 nominations across eight races yesterday with acceptances to be in by 9am tomorrow.
Racing Orange chief executive Adrian Dews was happy with the potential fields.
“We could potentially have full fields in all eight races,” Dews said.
“We’re not sure if we can split one of the races and add another race to the program.”
Sydney-based trainers are looking to make the trip to Orange including Graeme Rogerson who is working in a training partnership with Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Lee Freedman.
“We’ve got good nominations from the Sydney trainers and the local guys are supporting it well too,” Dews said.
“The last couple of meetings we’ve had good representation from Sydney trainers.”
The James Hardie Class 3 Handicap (1300m) received the most nominations with 26 while the Fletcher Insulation Benchmark 55 Handicap (1000m) pulled in 24.
The Boral Benchmark 75 Handicap over 1400m attracted the smallest number of nominations in 13 and the nominations for this race have been extended to 11am today.
A highlight of the day will be Group One-winning jockeys Hugh Bowman and Blake Shinn riding at the Orange meeting.
Orange trainer Alison Smith said she would be asking the top jockeys to ride for her.
“Why not? It’s a chance to put a Group One-winning rider on an average horse,” Smith said.
“It might improve the horse. Good riders can make a difference.”
The Racing Orange committee will keep an eye on Friday’s weather as this is the second time they have tried to get Bowman to ride at the Tradies Day meeting.
Last year, Bowman and Nash Rawiller, another Group One-winning jockey, were meant to ride at Orange but the meeting had to be postponed due to heavy rain and then the next date was also washed out.
Bowman has ridden in Orange previously after starting his apprenticeship in Bathurst with Leanne Aspros.
He rode four winners in one day for the first time at Towac Park but it has been almost 13 years since he was last on the Orange track.
The Towac Park gates will open at 12.30pm on Friday with first race at 1.18pm.