A collection of some of the season’s elite sprinters are nominated for one of the key support races at Randwick’s Epsom Handicap Day on Saturday, the Premier Stakes 2013.

Aeronautical is one of the top-rated 2013 Premiere Stakes nominations for Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.

This year’s $200,000 Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m) has drawn 20 early entries, one of the top rated nominees for the weight-for-age feature being the Lionel Cohen-trained Aeronautical.

The Encosta De Lago gelding has form around the best having run third behind Shamexpres sin the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) as an $81 roughie at Flemington back in March.

After bumming out when dead last in an 18-horse field for the Group 1 Doncaster Mile over the Randwick mile in the mud during April, Aeronautical improved first-up this time in.

Returning to Randwick on September 21 but this time getting a Dead track the five-year-old finished a brave second to Sessions in the Group 2 The Shorts (1100m).

Now they run over the same course but go up 1000m for the Premiere Stakes where they will boast a fitness edge over many resuming gallopers.

Top Sydney trainer Chris Waller meanwhile will vie for back-to-back wins in the Premiere this year following his success with subsequent Tattersall’s Tiara queen Red Tracer 12 months ago.

He’s made three nominations this year with his dual stakes winner Arinosa first-up after a four month break, veteran seven-year-old mare Dystopia and track specialist She’s Clean last seen finishing fifth to Red Tracer in the Tatt’s on June 22.

Also dominating the Premiere Stakes nominations numbers wise with three entries of their own is fellow Sydney horseman Peter Snowden.

Snowden has nominated for Hawkesbury Guineas winner Limes, his Australia Stakes runner-up Pinwheel whose last run in February was a dead last in the CF Orr Stakes behind All Too Hard and Rarefied who will all be first-up here.

Last spring Clarry Conners ran second to Red Tracer with Satin Shoes and he will be looking to go one better in 2013 with his Foreplay six-year-old Decision Time.

Brisbane failure in the Stradbroke when defeating just one of their 17 rivals home, Decision Time was back on track first-up where when defeating Sessions in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) before their fifth to that same horse in The Shorts.

The other notable Premiere Stakes nominations then include multiple Group 1 winning warhorse Hay List who was 11^th (of 12) in The Shorts, he Shorts fourth placed Hidden Warrior and Gai Waterhouse’s Exceed And Excel four-year-old Knight Exemplar.

Check out the full Premiere Stakes 2013 nominations below with the final field to be announced on Wednesday.

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2013 Premiere Stakes Nominations

Royal Randwick – 05/10/2013