Murrumbidgee Turf Club expect Wagga NRL game to boost Cup week crowds

The biggest week on the city's sporting calendar has arrived and all eyes will be on MTC on Thursday and Friday for Town Plate and Gold Cup days.

The fields for the two big days were released on Tuesday morning with fields at maximum capacity for both Thursday's $150,000 Town Plate (1200m) and the $170,000 Gold Cup (2000m) on Friday.

While the forecast for heavy rain later this week is of some concern, new MTC chief executive Steve Keene hopes the NRL game in Wagga on Saturday can pave the way for an increase in crowd sizes.

"The hospitality packages are all up and with the Raiders being in town, the accommodation has been booked out for over a month so I'd be disappointed if we didn't see a rise in numbers this year," Keene said.

"We're excited to see what the two days brings."

Last year about 7400 racegoers braved cool conditions to attend Gold Cup day. That was after 2600 punters turned out for Town Plate day.

The concern this year is the weather forecast.

There is 20 to 40 millimetres of rain forecast for Thursday and it could arrive as early as Wednesday. It is expected to clear by Friday.

"I'm thinking we'll get something either Wednesday, Thursday but Friday looks like a good day, which is fantastic because hopefully we'll get a big crowd and everyone can enjoy some great racing," Keene said.

Albury Racing Club were dealt a cruel blow earlier this year when it's Gold Cup meeting was abandoned after a freak storm on race morning.

MTC track manager Mark Hart, one of the best in the business, is confident the track will be able to handle around 30 millimetres of rain.

Keene is confident everything is coming together for a big two days in Wagga.

"It's coming together really well. Everything's just about set up for the hospitality packages and things like that. Now we're just keeping an eye on the sky and looking forward to a good two days," he said.

There is no shortage of big names in this year's Cup field. Chris Waller, James Cummings, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Peter and Paul Snowden all have runners in the race.

"There's a fantastic spread of metropolitan, not only trainers but jockeys, and then also local trainers so it's good to see that spread and hopefully they all get their chance on Friday," he said.

"I think the Town Plate is a really even field. There's some good local chances, some Canberra trainers and even a few coming up from the metropolitan so it will be a really well-contested race."

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