The 2024 Australian Cup Carnival kicks off on Saturday night at The Meadows with two Group 1 invitationals plus eight heats of the Group 1 Sportsbet Australian Cup (525m).

Fields for the Sportsbet Temlee (525m) and Sportsbet Zoom Top (730m) have been released, with huge interest in particular around The Temlee.

The box draws for both races will be announced on Tuesday.

The Temlee is an all-Victorian affair, with young gun Morton returning to his home state a hero after notching a feature race double at Albion Park in recent weeks with the Group 2 Derby and Group 1 Gold Bullion.

Big Energy, Schillaci and Transponder – three of the major players in the recent Sportsbet Dream Chasers Festival – will also take part in the Temlee, along with the Jonathan Brown-owned Alpha Zulu.

There'll also be plenty of eyes on Explicit, who has set the provincial circuit alight in three runs since returning from injury.

Meanwhile, interstate heavyweights Palawa King (NSW) and Valpolicella (Qld) are among the big names in the Zoom Top.

The fields for the Australian Cup heats will be announced on Wednesday.