Mitchell Beadman and Tye Angland, locked in a battle for the lead in the Sydney apprentices’ premiership, will ride at all three days of the Wagga Wagga carnival starting with the Murrumbidgee cup meeting on Sunday.

Angland already has four definite rides on Sunday and the possibility of a fifth while Beadman has two early engagements at this stage.

And Hugh Bowman has already committed to riding on the two main days on Thursday, May 1 which features the $60,000 XXXX Gold Town Plate (1200m) and Friday, May 2 which is high lighted by the Listed $120,000 Shep’s Earthmoving Repairs Wagga Wagga Gold Cup (2000m).

Angland was originally on stand by to ride the Guy Walter trained Lyncean Academy in Sunday’s $25,000 Rundles Auctions Murrumbidgee Cup (2000m), the main lead up to the Gold Cup.

However Lyncean Academy is an acceptor for the Neville Sellwood Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday with Angland aboard and Walter may now rely on last start Canterbury winner Nikiforos as his Murrumbidgee cup runner. Guy nominated seven horses for the meeting.

Rosehill trainer Gerald Ryan will wait until Striking Victory works in the morning before deciding whether to start him in Sunday’s cup.

The horse has top weight of 62.5kgs, another factor which Ryan said will influence his final decision.

“I want to watch him work and think about it before I decide what to do,” Ryan said.  

Murrumbidgee Turf Club officials were delighted with both the 154 nominations for Sunday’s seven races and the quality of horses.

“This is a brilliant start to the carnival,” the club’s chief executive, Christine Williams, said.

“If Sunday is any guide we are on track for an outstanding three days of racing.”