Nominations for the 2011 Sydney Cup, one of the premier staying tests held during the annual Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, have been released with 87 horses making up the early entries.

The $500,000 Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m), sponsored by Schweppes, is scheduled to run at the Royal Randwick Racecourse on Saturday April 23, 2011.

Sydney Cup Day is one of the richest meetings held in New South Wales each year with punters and racing fans treated to three other elite level features all providing top-class betting action at our preferred online bookmaker Luxbet.

The other Group 1 races accompanying the Sydney Cup at Randwick on April 23 are the weight-for-age $500,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m), the $400,000 Champagne Stakes (1600m) for two-year-olds and the $400,000 All Aged Stakes (1400m).

Early nominations for the 2011 Sydney Cup are up 28 on last year.

Recent stakes winners from this season entered for this year’s Sydney Cup include the Mark Kavanagh-trained King Diamond who won the $150,000 Listed Roy Higgins Quality (2600m) at Flemington on March 5 and Robert Hickmott’s Zabeel four-year-old Vesper who took out the Listed Victoria Gold Cup (2000m) at Caulfield on Blue Diamond Stakes Day before running second to King Diamond in the Roy Higgins.

Other Top 2011 Sydney Cup Nominations Include:

• Descarado (Gai Waterhouse) – Last year’s Caulfield Cup winner ran a first-up sixth behind Danleigh in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes at Warwick Farm on March 5
• Once Were Wild (Gai Waterhouse) – Johannesburg mare ran fourth in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) first-up this season before a disappointing 11^th in the Chipping Norton beaten five lengths
• Shocking (Mark Kavanagh) – Previous Melbourne Cup winner set to start in the 2011 Australian Cup at Flemington this Saturday March 12
• Linton (Robert Hickmott) – Lloyd Williams-owned Galileo four-year-old has great staying potential having won the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) during the spring
• Cedarberg (Pat Carey) – Flemington galloper in good form, second in the Herbert Power last season
• Hawk Island (Chris Waller) – Six-year-old gelding ran fifth in the Group 1 Metropolitan during the spring, recently won the Listed Parramatta Cup (2000m) at Rosehill on February 19
• Laristan (David Hayes) – French import earned a shot at the Sydney Cup with a 2000m win at Flemington on March 5
• Fast Future (Russel Cameron) – Eight-year-old galloper won the Group 3 Launceston Cup (2400m) last start on February 23

The 2011 Sydney Cup final field of acceptances will be released on Wednesday April 20 and published here at Races.com.au.

Futures betting on the event is due to open at leading online bookmaker Luxbet shortly so make sure you’re ready to lock in the generous early Sydney Cup odds by opening your Luxbet account today!

2011 Sydney Cup Nominations