The Manikato Stakes may be the curtain raiser for the Cox plate tomorrow afternoon, but the 1200 metre dash is one of the most exciting fast-paced races on the Australian calendar.
Catch all the live race highlights, updates and results on The Roar from 9:30pm (AEDT).
Defending champion Chautauqua will be looking to go back-to-back as he asserts himself as one of the best sprinters in not only Australia at the moment, but the world.
The gelding has drawn a barrier one for the race, but jockey Dwayne Dunn is still confident the six-year-old can make it work.
“That’s the card that has been dealt to us … we’ve got to do the best we can,” Dunn said.
Despite a disappointing fourth place finish in his last start at the Moir Stakes, Chautauqua has won six of his last nine races and is rightfully coming in as a hot favourite.
Four of those wins have been at the same 1200 metre distance he’ll be running today.
Capitalist is one impressive young colt and is one of many across a strong field that will be threatening the defence of Chautauqua.
The younger three-year-old has had a very strong start to his career, racking up four wins from his seven starts and only one non-place finish.
Normally ridden by Blake Shinn across most of his starts and trials, Capitalist has been given veteran jockey Kerrin McEvoy to steer the ship.
Another veteran in the field, but this time it’s horse, not the jockey. Nine-year-old Buffering won this same race back in 2013, one of 20 victories across a storied seven-year career.
A first-up fifth place finish in the Moir Stakes was a good return to action for him and should find his way up towards the front mid-race.
English and Fell Swoop are ones to keep an eye tonight as well.
Fell Swoop is the only horse in the field without a Group 1 win, but has shown plenty of consistency this year and is hot off a strong place finish at Schillaci Stakes at the start of October.
English has drawn a wide barrier and could get stuck in traffic trying to work into a strong position for the final stretch, but the mare shouldn’t be underestimated as a hard finisher.
There’re some chance of rain at Moonee as the temperature heads down towards single figures, so it will be interesting to see how the field reacts if the turf begins to tear up in the earlier races.
Prediction
While he’s been drawn at a less than ideal barrier one and will be in a fight for galloping room on the final stretch, Chautauqua did win this same race last year from barrier two.
He’ll have plenty of competition from Capitalist, The Quarterback and Fell Swoop, but Chautauqua is on fire right now and should have enough in the legs to take it by half a length.
1. Chautauqua
2. Capitalist
3. English
4. Buffering
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