After injury ruled out the favourite last year, Rob Heathcote’s flying sprint star Buffering is back for the 2013 BTC Cup heading a star-studded list of 25 nominations for Saturday week’s showdown.

Consistent Sydney sprinter Rain Affair will travel to Brisbane for the 2013 BTC Cup. Photo: Steve Hart.

The first of the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival major’s, the $400,000 Group 1 Bundaberg Distilling Co. BTC Cup (1200m) will light up Eagle Farm Racecourse on May 11.

Heathcote is hoping it will be third time lucky for his always honest reigning Queensland Horse of the Year Buffering, the classy Mossman gelding having run a brave third behind champions Black Caviar and Hay List in the 2011 BTC Cup before being scratched from the race 12 months ago.

Buffering, also nominated for the $1.36 million Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) next month, is the best of the local hopes in the BTC Cup nominations this year which are again saturated by smart interstate raiders.

Among the most notable visitors are the in-form Chris Waller-trained grey Arinosa coming off two Group wins in Sydney, the Peter Snowden-trained duo of Rarefied and Skytrain, Stuart Webb’s triple Group 1 winning mare Yosei who ran a first-up third in the Robert Sangster Stakes in Adelaide last weekend, and the Joe Pride-trained Rain Affair.

Rain Affair perhaps looks the biggest danger to Buffering’s shot at finally breaking his Group 1 maiden status after 13 attempts at elite level for seven minor placings, the Commands five-year-old having run two good Group 1 fourths behind More Joyous (Canterbury Stakes) and Black Caviar (TJ Smith) before their brave second to All Too Hard in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick last Saturday.

Also in the mix is the defending BTC Cup winner Sea Siren who made it a Group 1 double in Brissy last winter with the John O’Shea-trained Fastnet Rock mare also taking out the Doomben 10,000.

Sea Siren has been out of form this autumn however after an international trip to Hong Kong took it out of her, but a winning trial at Warwick Farm last week could be a sign she’s ready to bounce back.

Other notable BTC Cup nominees then include last start Listed winner at Eagle Farm Black Magic, Startsmeup and the Tony Gollan-trained stablemates Spirit Of Boom and Temple Of Boom.

See below for the official 2013 BTC Cup nominations with betting markets to be released shortly at bookmaker.com.au – home of the Aussie first Pick Your Own Odds on the metro majors.

2013 BTC Cup Nominations

Eagle Farm – 11/05/2013