The return of the Confederation Cup at Flamboro Downs is less than a month away and it is shaping up to be a great event as a solid group of 23 top-level four-year-old pacers have made the final payment to remain eligible.

World champion Hes Watching headlines the group of 23 eligibles. The Dave Menary trainee enters his four-year-old season with over $1.1 million in earnings and will be looking for hometown success, as he is stabled just a stone’s throw away from Flamboro Downs at Stephenson’s Training Centre.

Other notables on the list include Little Brown Jug winner Limelight Beach and Ontario Sires Stakes champion Three Of Clubs. The full list of 23 is as follows:

Eliminations for the $200,000 (added) Confederation Cup will be contested on Sunday, May 10 and will serve as a great appetizer for the big night a week later on Sunday, May 17.

The post position draw for the ‘Cup’ will take place on Wednesday, May 13 and will be live on CHCH News at Noon. The draw will also be streamed online.

Confederation Cup night, Sunday, May 17, will be filled with great entertainment both on and off the track. Fans will be entertained by Flamboro’s famous miniature race, a Racing Under Saddle (RUS) event, the Money Machine Madness and sampling stations. Fans will also have a chance to get up close and meet drivers and RUS riders.

Greg Blanchard and Ken Middleton will provide commentary and analysis of all the night’s action for both fans on track and watching via simulcast.

Fans are also asked to bring a canned food item on Confederation Cup night in support of the Good Shepherd Food Bank of Hamilton. Those who bring a canned food item will receive a ballot for a chance to win a dinner for eight at Flamboro Downs.

Post time for both elimination and Confederation Cup night is 6 p.m.

(with files from Flamboro Downs; photo courtesy Hannah Beckett)