A quality list of twenty-five runners have been included in nominations for Saturday’s 2016 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m); highlighted by the inclusion of a number of exciting spring racing prospects.

Tales Of Grimm has been included in 2016 Hawkesbury Gold Cup nominations. Photo: Steve Hart

Sons Of John broke through for a maiden black type win in the 2015 edition of the Hawkesbury Gold Cup and has been included in nominations for a title defence on Saturday.

The stable star for the Hawkesbury-based Jason Attard, Sons Of John continued to impress through a standout spring carnival campaign which heralded a number of standout results.

Resuming for a close second behind champion mare Winx in the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m), the Oratorio gelding produced a career-best performance to finish third in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) on October 3^rd.

While failing to make much of an impact in his next two starts, Son Of John has trialled well in the lead-up to his return and should lay a great account for himself in the 2016 Hawkesbury Gold Cup.

Attard is set to launch a two-pronged attack on the 2016 Hawkesbury Gold Cup, having also included Kellyville Flyer in nominations.

Chris Waller is set to dominate the final field of the feature race after nominating no less than seven of his stable’s stars for the 2016 Hawkesbury Gold Cup, including Beaten Up, Spiritjim and Tales Of Grimm.

Beaten Up will use the Hawkesbury Gold Cup as a second point of call on his way to a likely berth in the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) north of the border, in May.

Posting four wins and five minors through twenty-six starts, Beaten Up resumed this time for seventh in the Group 3 Doncaster Prelude (1500m) on March 26^th.

Spiritjim is poised for his first Australian start in the 2016 Hawkesbury Gold Cup and appears as though he will enjoy the conditions after trialling well.

Finishing outside the first three only a handful of times through eighteen career starts, the Galileo entire ran second in the Group 2 Qatar Prix Foy (2400m) at Longchamp on September 13^th before taking his position in the famed Group 1 Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe (2400m) a fortnight later; albeit an unsuccessful run.

Having capped his European tenure fourth in the Group 2 Prix Du Conseil De Paris (2400m) on October 18^th, Spiritjim’s class is sure to count for a lot on Saturday.

Tales Of Grimm is arguably the most suited of all of Waller’s runners to the Hawkesbury Gold Cup an should have taken plenty of benefit from his first-up run in the Royal Randwick BM100 (1400m) a fortnight ago.

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2016 Hawkesbury Gold Cup Nominations