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By Geoff Newling

Binalong Road has copped topweight for Sunday’s $100,000 Corey’s Catering Tamworth Cup (1400m).

The Mack Griffith-trained gelding, yet to win in two starts on the Tamworth track, received 61kg to just shade Tamworth Cup Prelude winner It’s A Shamozzle (60.5kg).

Griffith celebrated the win of Schedule in a Highway Handicap race at Randwick on Saturday and has already won 11 times from 40 starts with Binalong Road.

In his two starts at Tamworth he finished 14th to Tableaux in the 2015 Tamworth Cup and then 11th to Chrysolaus last year.

His most recent win was at Doomben in a 1350m B80 on Christmas Eve.

Tamworth Jockey Club general manager Damon Sullivan is delighted with the Cup field and its 41-strong nominations as well as the 211 nominations for Sunday’s eight-race program.

He believes the presence of all the Country Championship horses adds an extra spice to $100,000 feature, especially runner-up After All That and fourth-placed Caerless Choice. However they have received the minimum weight (54kgs) and might not make the final field.

He also thinks there might be something of a “smokey” in the shape of the former Irish stayer Queensberry Rules. Now trained at Cessnock by Jeremy Sylvester the seven-year-old gelding, winner of three of his English starts, received 59.5kg.

“He’s done all of his racing in the UK,” Damon Sullivan said. “But he’s had two trials at Muswellbrook and Newcastle and won his last trial over 1000m at Newcastle too. He will be an interesting runner if he starts.”

Jeremy Sylvester has also nominated last year’s Cup winner Chrysolaus. “I’d love to see him run as well,” Sullivan added.

Acceptances for Sunday’s Tamworth Cup close 9am tomorrow.

View all the nominations for the Tamworth Cup meeting here.