Sydney trainer John O'Shea is heading back with Southern Lad after finishing runner-up 12 months ago.

The six-year-old has won more than $450,000 in prizemoney and was second at its last start in February behind subsequent William Reid winner Masked Crusader (which also has two group one placings this autumn).

Also among the 34 nominations is the Victorian galloper Open Minded (trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman) which has won its last four starts, in an impressive career record of seven wins in 12 starts, and could be piloted by Nash Rawiller.

Sydney trainer Mark Newnham has 11-time winner Marway while Bjorn Baker (Flat Heaven), David Pfeiffer (Ghostly, the 2019 Town Plate winner), John Thompson (Grand Piano), Matt Dale (Mossman Gorge) and Joe Cleary (Up Trumpz) are all represented.

"It's really strong, which we anticipated, with good coverage of metropolitan horses and local horses which have the potential to get a run," Murrumbidgee Turf Club chief executive Steve Keene said.

"It looks like being a really good race and justifying the $200,000 prizemoney.

"I think there's a number of horses that will go into the race as a legitimate live chance which is great for the punters and great for the race. There's no one horse that really stands out."

Keene is rapt that the 'quality two day carnival' continues to attract the big stables for races right across the programs. The Town Plate field will be finalised on Tuesday before the barrier draw.

Last year's winner in the wet, Irish Songs, is one of three nominations for trainer Kurt Goldman, along with Intuition and Ruthless Agent, while fellow Goulburn trainer Danny Williams has Prairie Fire, which was a listed winner as a two-year-old and placed in group company.

Keith Dryden's Handle The Truth is a winner of well over a million dollars in prizemoney (including the 2019 Kosciuszko and this year's National Sprint in Canberra). It's one of five runners out of the 2020 Kosciuszko, including Albury's Lord Von Costa.

Wagga trainer Gary Colvin's veteran Forever Newyork would be chasing an eighth career win, and is coming off a second in the Prelude. Chris Heywood has nominated his new stable addition, the former Queensland mare Underwood.

Keene said ticket sales are superb for the carnival, including 3000 general admission tickets for Friday's Cup meeting, on top of at least that many in hospitality packages.

Flash Fibian (P Murray), Flat Heaven (B Baker), Forever Newyork (G Colvin), Ghostly (D Pfeiffer), Grand Piano (J Thompson), Handle The Truth (K Dryden), Intuition (K Goldman), Irish Songs (K Goldman), Jailbreak (K Nestor), Kookabaa (B Thompson), Lord Von Costa (D Scott), Malaise (L O'Connor), Marway (M Newnham), Mookareena (B Joseph, P and M Jones), Mossman Gorge (M Dale), Mount Horeb (G Osborne), Mrs O'Malley (L McCullum), Onthetake (D Gorrel), Opalescence (M Beer), Open Minded (A and S Freedman), Prairie Fire (D Williams), Quiet Lucky (W Church), Real Key (G Byatt), Reine Happy (G Osborne), Ruthless Agent (K Goldman), Shores of Avalon (K Dryden), Sneak Preview (K Nestor), Southern Lad (J O'Shea), Spunlago (R Stubbs), Superhard (M Wayman), Thistledo (D Blundell), Underwood (C Heywood), Up Trumpz (J Cleary), Whosyourhousemate (J Selman).

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