The race is held over the classic professional sprint distance of 120 metres.

With overall carnival prizemoney being increased this year to $9000, fields have increased so that eight heats of the Gift and ten heats of the 70m sprint will now need to be run along with semi-finals and finals.

Former Port Macquarie schoolboy champion Groth will probably start from the back-mark of 2.25m, giving his stablemate, Sierra Leone Commonwealth Games representative Ali Bangura, only 0.25m start.

Last year’s winner, Newcastle’s talented youngster Liam Gander will start from the 4m mark and will again be very difficult to beat while talented Queenslanders Gary Finegan off 5m and former junior star Nathan Carr off 6m should also be in the finish.

Among the front-markers with good chances are Sydney’s David Lee off 11m, Patrick Hammond off 9.5m and Newcastle Knight’s Speed Trainer, the veteran runner-trainer Lee Clark who will run from the 11.5m mark.

The women’s 120m Gift has attracted three heats but unfortunately Nambucca Heads’ star from past carnivals, Laura Duncan, is unable to enter this year because of exam commitments.

In her absence, the clear athlete to beat is this year’s Stawell women’s Gift winner and NSW 400m champion Trisha Greaves from Metford.

Greaves was the star of last year’s carnival, taking out the prized double of the women’s Gift and then beating the men home in the mixed 300m handicap.

She will run from the back-mark of 2.5m in the Women’s Gift, conceding 5.5m to her closest opponent.

The carnival is going through something of a resurgence with nomination numbers on a steady upward trend with total entries going from 188 in 2007 to 237 in 2008 and 248 this year.

Organisers are looking forward to some fine weather and an evening of wonderful entertainment.