![Canberra Racing Club chief executive Darren Pearce has defended the nominations for Monday's Canberra Cup. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong Canberra Racing Club chief executive Darren Pearce has defended the nominations for Monday's Canberra Cup. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/GzY3iczng7SLWqVgHSV78t/040c2fe1-87f9-4c8f-855a-4c1e7726c5fd.jpg/r0_595_5700_3800_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Canberra Racing Club chief executive Darren Pearce has brushed aside concerns over the depth and quality of Monday's Canberra Cup field.
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Nominations were extended on Tuesday when just 14 horses were entered for the $200,000 Listed race.
There was a clear lack of Canberra-trained horses, with just one, Natalie Jarvis' Tarn's Prince boasting any connection to the region. The gelding's owners are based in the ACT.
Pearce, however, pointed to the likes of defending champion Sacramento, former three-year-old star Explosive Jack and last-start winner Zeyrek when outlining why this year's edition of the Canberra Cup will be a memorable one.
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"It's 14 but the quality is there," Pearce said. "We've got Derby winners, previous Canberra Cup winners, the Hawkes horse Zeyrek won well first-up in Sydney.
"We're bringing together a number of historic and current form lines which will make for a competitive race.
"It will be tactical, with horses that run on the pace and strong run-on types like Zeyrek and Explosive Jack.
"It can be a fantastic edition of the race if there's a good tempo. Can the leaders stave off the run-on horses? It will be an exciting event."
While slightly disappointed with the number of nominations for the Canberra Cup, Pearce was thrilled with the field for the 50th edition of the Black Opal.
Thirty-one horses have been nominated for the $200,000 Group 3 race, including a number of stakes-placed runners.
The big city stables are all represented, along with a handful of Canberra trainers eyeing their shot at glory.
While some horses are expected to drop out of the final field to contest the Magic Night and Pago Pago Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday, Pearce remains confident a deep field will line up on Sunday.
"We've got a huge set of nominations for the Black Opal," he said. "It's fitting in the 50th anniversary of the first running of the race.
"A lot of the top two-year-old stables are represented. If those can carry through to acceptances it's going to be a Black Opal for the ages. We wanted to make it a proper celebration for the significance of this race for the club and for Canberra."
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