Moir Stakes winner Nature Strip is among the first acceptances for the 2019 Group 1 $1m Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on October 25.

Moir Stakes winner Nature Strip, above, is among the first acceptances for the 2019 Manikato Stakes at The Valley. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Moir Stakes winner Nature Strip, above, is among the first acceptances for the 2019 Manikato Stakes at The Valley. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Nature Strip claimed his second Group 1 trophy with a gutsy win in the $1m Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes (1000m) at The Valley on September 27 and the classy sprinter is one of three Chris Waller trained horses included in the twenty-nine first acceptances for the Manikato Stakes.

Waller has also accepted with Zousain and the Group 1 Golden Rose runner-up Yes Yes Yes.

Trainer James Cummings has five sprinters still in contention for the Manikato Stakes with Group 1 winners Alizee, Microphone, Trekking and Bivouac as well as the European import Home Of The Brave.

Cummings latest Group 1 winner, three year old Bivouac, put in a gigantic effort to hold out Yes Yes Yes to win the Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill on September 28.

Co-trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace also have multiple first acceptances for the Manikato Stakes with Dubious, Loving Gaby and Bons Away.

Loving Gaby returned from a spell in dynamic form with a win in the Group 3 $160,000 Piper-Heidsieck Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on September 27 and Maher said that the three year old filly has plenty of improvement to come.

“She was a little bit vulnerable because of where she’s at – she’s a bit soft in her preparation so that will bring her right up to speed,” co-trainer Ciaron Maher said.

“She was a bit soft but that’s what good horses do.”

“They just don’t do that unless they are exceptional and I think she is.”

“She came to the races against a pretty slick field and she’s not fully fit yet and she had to do it the tough way a little bit. She had no favours.”

“She had four group 1 races in her first preparation and they aren’t motor bikes.”

Multiple Group 1 winner’s Santa Ana Lane and The Bostonian have been included in the first acceptances for the Manikato Stakes as has the Aidan O’Brien trained Irish sprinter Ten Sovereigns.

Final acceptances for the Manikato Stakes will close at 8.30am (AEDT) on Tuesday, 22 October.

First acceptances for the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m)

# Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer Ballot Weight
1 5161x514x2 SANTA ANA LANE G 7 Anthony Freedman 1 58.5kg
2 39x372x16x IN HER TIME M 7 Kris Lees 2 56.5kg
3 x111306x13 ALIZEE M 5 James Cummings 3 56.5kg
4 18x1014x41 NATURE STRIP G 5 Chris Waller 4 58.5kg
5 1401x7x58x HEY DOC G 6 Tony & Calvin McEvoy 5 58.5kg
6 121121x MICROPHONE C 3 James Cummings 6 53kg
7 94x41131x8 TREKKING G 5 James Cummings 7 58.5kg
8 7525x110x9 THE BOSTONIAN (NZ) G 5 Tony Pike 8 58.5kg
9 6481320×14 FAATINAH G 7 David & B Hayes & T Dabernig 9 58.5kg
10 x3141x1211 BIVOUAC C 3 James Cummings 10 53kg
11 x11110x450 DESPATCH G 5 Tony & Calvin McEvoy 11 58.5kg
12 111x5416x TEN SOVEREIGNS (IRE) H 4 Aidan O’Brien 12 58kg
13 x214x70x52 HOME OF THE BRAVE (IRE) G 8 James Cummings 13 58.5kg
14 82x19x0x80 BOOKER M 5 Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra 14 56.5kg
15 x123015x42 DUBIOUS C 3 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 15 53kg
16 2x422x20x6 ZOUSAIN H 4 Chris Waller 16 58.5kg
17 x368105x77 I AM EXCITED M 5 David Pfieffer 17 56.5kg
18 16422×1 LOVING GABY F 3 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 18 51kg
19 211x17x22 YES YES YES C 3 Chris Waller 19 53kg
20 10x13430x0 WINTER BRIDE M 5 Toby & Trent Edmonds 20 56.5kg
21 4x11100x13 ZOUTORI G 4 Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra 21 58.5kg
22 672133×046 MERYL M 4 Lee Curtis 22 56.5kg
23 811317×449 EMBRACE ME (NZ) M 4 Danny O’Brien 23 56.5kg
24 1614174×45 ASHLOR G 6 Dan McCarthy 24 58.5kg
25 x14025x225 BONS AWAY G 6 Ciaron Maher & David Eustace 25 58.5kg
26 31121350×2 EASY EDDIE G 5 Joseph Pride 26 58.5kg
27 11213x13x4 VITAL SILVER G 6 Daniel & Ben Pearce 27 58.5kg
28 1x111x1x62 ZOUSTYLE G 4 Tony Gollan 28 58.5kg
29 1272×22 TROPE H 4 Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 29 58.5kg

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.