After being unplaced at The Valley first-up in the Moir Stakes the punters have forgiven Paulele and are back on the last start Group 2 winner to salute in the Group 1 $2 million Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes (1200m) on Friday evening.
Paulele is favourite to win Friday night’s 2022 Manikato Stakes under the lights at The Valley. Photo: Steve Hart.
The James Cummings-trained son of Dawn Approach was one of the best in betting for the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley last month when the gun four-year-old finished a mid-field sixth.
He atoned last time out at Caulfield posting an impressive win in the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes (1100m) and now looks on track third-up and fit returning to the tight circuit for this year’s Manikato Stakes.
The 2022 Manikato Stakes final field features a capacity line-up of potential Champions Sprint-bound horses.
Drawn midfield in barrier six with leading jockey James McDonald aboard, Paulele heads betting at race sponsor Ladbrokes paying $3.70 to go back-to-back.
Cummings is full of pre-race confidence with the top elect describing Paulele’s Manikato barrier, which will become gate four with emergencies out, as “perfect”.
“It would not be lost on anyone that plenty of sprinters can sense that there’s blood in the water with a Group 1 without the absolute mega superstars in the race,” Cummings told Just Horse Racing.
“But I don’t think it’s a ‘Mickey Mouse’ Group 1 having a look at it and it’s important for him to draw well in a big field.
“The 1000 metres in the Moir, when he was away from the rail, wasn’t ideal on a night you needed to be nearer the rail that night and hopefully it just unfolds for him and he’s able to show that lethal turn of foot he was able to exhibit in the Schillaci last time at Caulfield.”
Top training duo Ciaron Maher & David Eustace ran the quinella in the Moir with their classy young filly Coolangatta narrowly denying her smart older stablemate Bella Nipotina in an exciting finish.
They return as the dangers in the Manikato Stakes with five-year-old Pride Of Dubai mare Bella Nipotina the $4.20 second favourite in barrier two for jockey Craig Williams.
Moir Stakes winner Coolangatta meanwhile has the rails run from barrier one as she looks to complete the double and is at current Manikato Stakes odds of $5.50.
The Moir and Manikato have both been won by plenty of the same horses over the years, but the last to do the double in the same campaign was Spinning Hill (2002).
The fellow Maher/Eustace-trained filly Loving Gaby (2019) meanwhile was the last three-year-old Manikato Stakes winner that Coolangatta and her jockey Jamie Kah are out to emulate.
Coolangatta gets the weight advantage again with just 51kg and looks ready for the six furlongs third-up, a distance the autumn’s Golden Slipper third place-getter boasts a strong record over already (3:2-0-1).
“She run the 1200 in the Magic Millions, weight-for-age will definitely be tougher, but Jamie (Kah) rode her in a trial last Monday and said she felt great,” co-trainer Maher said.
“She’s in great order.”
Rothfire for Robert Heathcote coming off a fifth when under two lengths beaten in the Moir is drawn barrier five.
He will come into three with emergencies In The Boat (3) and Sweet Ride (4) both coming up with inside draws.
Wider out are Michael Moroney’s upset Newmarket Handicap winning mare from the autumn Roch ‘N’ Horse in 15 who comes off back-to-back seconds down the Flemington straight and Snitzel colt Best Of Bordeaux in 14 coming off a big win in the mud at Randwick in the Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m).
The Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes 2022 is set to run as Race 6 at Moonee Valley at Friday night’s twilight meeting in Melbourne.
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