Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes 2024

Ladbrokes Tip: Backing the favourite to salute is a good Manikato Stakes betting tip.

The Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes is a feature Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival sprint run at Moonee Valley Racecourse in late September as of 2024 having been moved forward a month from its previous late October time slot.

2022 Manikato Stakes winner Bella Nipotina. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The popular sprint showdown recently took place on the Friday night under the lights at The Valley on the eve of the Cox Plate.

The 2022 Manikato Stakes ran on Cox Plate Day after being moved from the abandoned Friday night meeting at Moonee Valley, and in 2023 the Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes remained part of the Cox Plate Day race card.

In 2024 it moved from October to September but remained a Friday night Moonee Valley night racing feature.

Conducted over 1200m the weight-for-age feature holds Group 1 status and runs on the notoriously tight Valley circuit.

Worth $2 million in prize money as of 2022 it is named after dual winner of the race Manikato who also won five straight editions of the William Reid Stakes at the same track from 1979 – 1983.

Upgraded to a Group 1 race in 1989 the Manikato was previously known as the Freeway Stakes (1968 – 1983). It has been won by many top-line sprinters including Lankan Rupee (2014), Sepoy (2011), Hay List (2010), Miss Andretti, Sunline (2000m), and Dane Ripper (1998).

This season the Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes ran on Friday September 27, 2024 at Moonee Valley having been moved from October and was won in a thrilling upset by the Ciaron Maher-trained Southport Tycoon ($21) who posted a final stride victory over his stablemate Growing Empire ($3.80F).   

2024 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Results

The official Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes 2024 Results & Finishing Order will be available below once the race is run and won at Moonee Valley Racecourse on Friday September 27, 2024 .

2024 Manikato Stakes winner Southport Tycoon was given a perfectly timed ride by Mark Zahra. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

• 1st: #4 Southport Tycoon
• 2nd: #12 Growing Empire
• 3rd: #1 I Wish I Win

The Ciaron Maher-trained Written Tycoon four-year-old Southport Tycoon ($21) showed plenty of tenacity second-up ridden masterfully by Mark Zahra to come off the fence late and surge home to narrowly deny his stablemate, the well-backed colt Growing Empire ($3.80F), victory in the Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes 2024 results at The Valley. I Wish I Win from a wide alley also caught the eye closing late for third ahead of his shot at The Everest at Randwick on October 19. 

2024 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Odds

The latest Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes 2024 betting odds will be available across the season below so you can back your early Moonee Valley Group 1 racing tips online at the right price this spring.

2024 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Race Info

• Date: Friday September 27, 2024
• Track: Moonee Valley Racecourse
• Distance: 1200m
• Conditions: Weight-for-age
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $2 million
• First Run: 1968

Manikato Stakes Betting

Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes betting odds were traditionally led by the best Moir Stakes graduates who were proven in Group 1 company over the 1200m at Moonee Valley.

Recent Manikato Stakes winners that ran second in the Moir Stakes in their final lead-up include Buffering (2013), Lankan Rupee (2014) and Bella Nipotina (2022).

Imperatriz (2023) was the last to complete the Moir Stakes – Manikato Stakes double.

As of 2024, the Manikato Stakes runs earlier in September prior to the Moir Stakes.

The 2018 Manikato Stakes winner Brave Smash also finished runner-up in that spring’s Moir Stakes, but also finished eighth to dual champ Redzel in Sydney’s The Everest race in between the Melbourne spring features at The Valley.

Horses at the top of the Manikato Stakes markets have recently fared well with six favourites saluting in the race from 2007 – 2024 most recently Imperatriz ($1.40 in 2023). There have been two notable upsets with Rebel Dane ($61 in 2016) and Hey Doc ($21 in 2017).

Hey Doc returned in 2020 to first dual champion on non-successive years since the race’s now namesake Manikato (1979, 1982) but did so as a $10 shot.

Horses coming off a top two run have dominated recent Manikato Stakes results, so the in-form sprinters of the spring usually sit highest up the Manikato Stakes odds.

There was a notable Manikato Stakes upset in 2024 with the beaten favourite Growing Empire ($3.80) run down late by his stablemate Southport Tycoon ($21). 

Manikato Stakes Tips

Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes tips are most often dominated by that season’s Moir Stakes winner, but a host of other lead-up races have produced winners of the sprint showdown in recent years including Brisbane’s Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap during the winter that both Sea Siren (9th in 2012) and Danleigh (2nd in 2009) contested before their spring win in the Manikato in Melbourne.

Some gallopers kick off their spring campaigns in the race, so looking at the runners with good fresh form is a good Manikato Stakes betting tip as is looking for the horses drawn near the inside as the tight circuit favours barriers 1 – 5.

2024 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Tips

Our insider Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes 2024 betting tips and exotic Moonee Valley race selections will be detailed below the week of the race so bookmark this page to see what sprint horses to back at the right price this season.

• To Win: #13 Hayasugi ($5.50 at time of publish) – BET NOW

What a fantastic edition of the Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes! We’ve got plenty of varying form lines to consider but have landed on the filly Hayasugi who looks so attractive carrying just 50kg here. She gets the run of the race on Friday evening from barrier two with Jamie Kah riding. This Clinton McDonald-trained daughter of Royal Meeting has had two runs at the Cauldron for two excellent second placings. The latest saw her face a similar class of rivals in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) where the autumn’s Blue Diamond winner atoned for her Golden Slipper disaster crossing a half-length off Mornington Glory fresh. She’ll be even better now second-up still with the lightweight and the 1200m suits. Ticks plenty of boxes to beat home the older runners here at the weights. 

Manikato Stakes Field

The Manikato Stakes race field has a capacity of 14 starters and has been run at that capacity eight times since 1983 most recently in 2008 when Typhoon Zed saluted and 2018 when Brave Smash got the job done as an $8.50 shot.

Four times since 2009 the Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes race field has attracted under double figures with just eight lining up in both 2010 and 2011, only nine in the 2017 edition and nine again in 2020. Both in 2017 and 2020, Hey Doc won the race.

There were only six official starters in the 2023 Manikato Stakes field with Buenos Noches scratched at the barriers.

The 2024 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes field ran with 12 starters. 

The Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes final acceptances close the week of the race previously featured horses that contested the Group 1 Moir Stakes before being moved in 2024.

Recent Manikato Stakes winners to have had their final lead-up in the A.J. Moir Stakes include Lankan Rupee (2nd in 2014), Buffering (2nd in 2013), Bella Nipotina (2nd in 2022) who also finished second in the previous year’s Manikato results, and Imperatriz (1st of 2023) who did the double.

Rebel Dane (2016) scored a huge upset as a $61 roughie in Manikato Stakes betting. Photo Credit: Ultimate Racing Photos.

2024 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Field

The 2024 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Field & Barriers are set for release the Tuesday of race week and will be published in full below so stay tuned to see the sprinters that make the cut for the $2 million dollar feature.

Ciaron Maher’s flying Zoustar colt Growing Empire and the multiple Group 1 winning I Wish I Win from the Moody/Coleman stable headline the 13-horse Ladbrokes Maniatko Stakes 2024 final field for this Friday night at The Valley.

The 2024 Manikato Stakes barrier draw took place at5pm (AEST) on Tuesday evening and saw the favourite Growing Empire draw midfield in gate seven while I Wish I Win has work to do from out wide in barrier 12. 

2024 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Nominations

The 2024 Manikato Stakes Nominations close at midday on Monday October 23, 2024. 

Manikato Stakes Form Guide

The Manikato Stakes form guide has all the facts and stats on the horses in the race including the jockeys, trainers, lead-up form, age and track / distance records. Previous form at Moonee Valley is important while the spread of Manikato Stakes winning ages is wide.

The form guide also shows which barriers the hopefuls are drawn and barrier one produced four winners from 2009-24 with Danleigh (2009), Hay List (2010), Sepoy (2011) and Bella Nipotina (2022) all saluting from the inside alley.

The 2021 Manikato Stakes form was franked with the second placed mare Bella Nipotina finishing third next race behind Nature Strip in Flemington’s VRC Sprint Classic. She returned in 2022 and won the Manikato by over four lengths for her first Group 1 victory.

Imperatriz franked the 2023 Manikato Stakes winning the Champions Sprint (2023) and Black Caviar Lighting (2024) at her two next runs.

Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Form Facts

• Barrier one has produced four Manikato Stakes winners from 2009 – 2024 most recently Bella Nipotina (2022).
• In that time just one winner jumped from wider than barrier nine in the Manikato Stakes field.
• Horses that ran first or second in their lead-up have dominated the Manikato Stakes results over the past 30 years.
• Favourites in Manikato Stakes betting saluted seven times from 2007-24.

2024 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Manikato Stakes 2024 Form Guide will be made available for punters the week of the race.

Manikato Stakes Results

The Manikato Stakes race results are known each spring. Punters can see the exact finishing order of all the starters, the margins separating each galloper, the winning time and see how much the Quinella and Trifecta exotics paid.

Loving Gaby (2019) was the last Manikato Stakes winning filly as well as the latest three-year-old Manikato Stakes winner.

Imperatriz (2023) was the last Manikato Stakes winning mare.

Hey Doc holds the current Manikato Stakes race record winning in 2020 in a time of 1 minute 08:76 seconds.

Past Manikato Stakes Winners

Recent Manikato Stakes winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.

FAQ

When is the Manikato Stakes 2024?

What is the prize money for the Manikato Stakes 2024?

$2,000,000

Where is the Manikato Stakes 2024?

Moonee Valley Racecourse, Feehan Ave, Moonee Ponds VIC 3039.