Joe Pride’s highly-rated sprinter Kuro is among the top-rated entries taken for the Takeover Target Stakes 2017 this Friday at Gosford Racecourse.

Kuro is among a bumper list of class sprinters nominated for Friday’s 2017 Takeover Target Stakes at Gosford. Photo: Daniel Costello.

A key support act on the Gosford Cup Day card, this season’s $125,000 Listed Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) has attracted a bumper 20 nominations.

Among the early headliners is Pride’s Denman five-year-old Kuro, out to atone for his last start seventh of eight runners in the Listed Razor Sharp Handicap (1200m) on December 17 at Randwick.

Prior to that the gelding enjoyed a black-type win in the Listed Starlight Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill.

Pride has also nominated for I Am Zelady and Ball Of Muscle giving him a strong hand in the possible Takeover Target Stakes field this summer.

A five-year-old daughter of I Am Invincible, I Am Zelady chases her maiden win since January last year.

She failed to impress first-up on December 31 in the Listed Canterbury Classic (1200m) when 12^th, but is expected to improve sharply second-up after the run.

The form held-up out of the Canterbury Classic in last year’s Takeover Target Stakes results with the winner Howmuchdoyouloveme improving on a lead-up ninth for his win as a $12 shot in betting.

Ball Of Muscle meanwhile also resumed in the same race, the classy Dubawi six-year-old finishing just over three lengths back for sixth.

The gelding has a strong record second-up (7-3-2-0) and is undefeated at Gosford with two wins from as many starts at the course.

A Group 1 runner-up behind Buffering in the 2015 Moir Stakes, Ball Of Muscle is back at Gosford for the first time since his narrow win in the Takeover Target Stakes two years ago.

Razor Sharp Handicap winner The Monstar is an in-form hope heading into Friday’s clash for Albury trainer Brett Cavanough, while Tina Rogers’ local hopeful Iron George comes off a December 31 victory at the track and distance.

Also coming off a lead-up run are the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Keano four-year-old Suspense who saluted at Rosehill carrying 58kg to victory on December 24, and the Gosford-trained Waitandwatch who chases a third win on the trot and who comes off a Randwick win on Boxing Day.

Other notable Takeover Target Stakes nominees include Wouldn’t It Be Nice for Paul Perry, John O’Shea’s in-form Grunderzeit, the Kim Waugh-trained His Majesty and the Rodney Northam-trained Big Money who ran second, third, fourth and fifth respectively in the Canterbury Classic.

Check out the full Takeover Target Stakes 2017 nominations below ahead of the release of the final field on Wednesday and betting markets soon after at Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost (T&Cs apply).

2017 Takeover Target Stakes Nominations

Gosford Racecourse – 13/01/2017