This Saturday the lucrative Ballarat Cup 2016 steals the show in country Victoria with a capacity field of stayers accepted to face off in the staying showdown.

Set to run as Race 8 at 4:40pm (AEDT), this season’s $300,000 Listed Ballarat Cup (2200m) features a full 18 starters plus four emergencies awaiting a run.

Sitting top of the Ballarat Cup field and weights set to carry a hefty 60kg from a wide barrier 13 draw is Matthew Williams’ Eclipse Stakes winner from last weekend Turnitaround.

The Warrnambool-trained son of Hard Spun carted 58.5kg to a narrow Sandown win in the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes (1800m) last Saturday and is set for a quick back-up on Saturday.

Williams is unsure whether the 2200m will be to his six-year-old’s liking, the galloper only having winning form up to 2000m, but is happy to give the horse a go for a share in the prize money in one of the richest country cup races.

Also out of the Eclipse Stakes and high up the Ballarat Cup weights with 59kg is the Darren Weir-trained third-placed import Lidari.

The veteran eight-year-old Acclamation stallion was defeated under a length under 59kg at Ladbrokes Park on Zipping Classic Day and gets the chance to turn the tables seven days later meeting Turnitaround better in the weights.

Weir will saddle-up a total of four hopefuls in his home town Cup this weekend also accepting for Taiyoo (58.5kg), Auvray (56.5kg) and Lord Van Percy (55kg).

All but one of his four Ballarat Cup horses are drawn double-digits.

Of the quartet his best chance perhaps shapes up as Taiyoo who Brad Rawiller rides on the back of a Kyneton Cup win under 60kg on November 2.

The Haradasun seven-year-old was impressive with that weight posting his first win since Adelaide’s Group 3 Lord Reims Stakes (2600m) in February of 2015 and will enjoy the 2200m of Saturday’s race.

Drawn the rails and carrying 58.5kg when taking on the boys is the Lindsay Park-trained Rising Romance.

Mark Zahra has the ride on the Group 1 winning Ekraar mare who is out to improve on an eighth in the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Emirates Stakes Day.

Rising Romance has lined-up in 20 Group 1 races over her career for seven placings and a win in the 2014 ATC Oaks.

She is high up the weights on Saturday however and hasn’t been first-past-the-post in a race since February of 2014.

The stable have also accepted for the imported Pilote D’Essai who races in his first Black-Type assignment down under.

His last start produced a ninth over 1800m at Flemington on Oaks Day, but he is down from 59.5kg that run to 54kg on the weekend giving him the chance to improve.

Higher up the ratings and coming off back-to-back provincial cup seconds is the now Wayne Walters-trained Puccini who has been racing well for his new stable.

Other notable Ballarat Cup hopes this spring include the Cindy Alderson-trained recent Sales Cup third placed mare Manageress, the Lee & Anthony Freedman-trained Nozomi and former Queensland Derby winner Sonntag who ran third in last year’s Ballarat Cup trifecta.

See below for the full Ballarat Cup 2016 field, barriers, jockeys and weights with markets set for release shortly at Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost (T&Cs apply).

2016 Ballarat Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw

Ballarat Race 8 (4:40pm) – 19/11/2016

#	Form (Last 10)	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Br.	Wgt.	Hcp. Rating
1	311118×301	TURNITAROUND	Matthew Williams	Blake Shinn	13	60kg	104
2	x1xD2x0293	LIDARI (FR)	Darren Weir	John Allen	15	59kg	102
3	3540×27408	RISING ROMANCE (NZ)	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Mark Zahra	1	58.5kg	105
4	757×560031	TAIYOO	Darren Weir	Brad Rawiller	12	58.5kg	101
5	4402846×22	PUCCINI (NZ)	Wayne Walters	Craig Robertson	7	58kg	100
6	1x4740x008	AUVRAY (FR)	Darren Weir	TBA	4	56.5kg	97
7	106x0x0830	DESERT JEUNEY	Nigel Blackiston	TBA	21	56kg	96
8	20×9845900	MAGNAPAL	Terry & Karina O’Sullivan	Luke Currie	5	56kg	96
9	1519125×67	LORD VAN PERCY (GB)	Darren Weir	TBA	18	55kg	94
10	x0730x5950	OBSERVATIONAL (GB)	John Sadler	Luke Nolen	8	55kg	94
11	74126×5266	LADY LE FAY (NZ)	Chris Waller	Craig Newitt	22	54kg	96
12	1282×30930	MANAGERESS	Cindy Alderson	Ms Michelle Payne	2	54kg	91
13	893×486407	GO DREAMING	Grant Kluske	Darren Gauci	6	54kg	89
14	3x67x66142	NOZOMI	Lee & Anthony Freedman	Stephen Baster	10	54kg	89
15	x153413x43	SCHERZOSO	Tony McEvoy	Ben Allen (a)	16	54kg	89
16	14x1x22529	PILOTE D’ESSAI (GB)	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Regan Bayliss (a)	19	54kg	87
17	000396×990	SONNTAG	Henry Dwyer	Michael Dee (a)	17	54kg	85
18	21213×9226	COOL CHAP	Lee & Anthony Freedman	Daniel Stackhouse	3	54kg	83
19e	811×099411	GOLDEN OLDIES	Terry & Karina O’Sullivan	Ms Linda Meech	9	54kg	80
20e	211x2x4442	SOMETHING TO SHARE	Dane Smith	TBA	14	54kg	79
21e	16415×0	CHARLEVOIX	Michael Kent	TBA	20	54kg	74
22e	x912598415	WHITE DOLLAR SIGN	John Thom	Ms Holly McKechnie	11	54kg	72