We'll message you the best Manikato Stakes tips, directly
*Note: Due to a storm in Victoria on Friday 21st October, the Manikato Stakes has been moved to Cox Plate day, at the same track, Moonee Valley. The Manikato Stake will be Race 11 on the card, taking place at 6.25pm.*Named in honour of Champion s...
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Calvin McEvoy believes Hey Doc is on track to win his second Manikato Stakes after two runs back from a spell but he envisages a different scenario in terms of how the horse might ...
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In a hurry? We’ve listed all the quick facts that you need to know about the Manikato Stakes:
Date | Saturday, 22nd October, 2022 |
Start Time | 6.25pm |
Racecourse | Moonee Valley Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia |
Distance | 1,200 metres |
Grade | Group 1 |
Prizemoney | $2,000,000 |
The Manikato Stakes is a Group One race over 1,200m and kicks off a massive weekend of racing at the Moonee Valley Racecourse. The Manikato Stakes is for horses aged three or older and is run under weight-for-age conditions with a total prizemoney pool of $2,000,000. The 2022 race will be held on Saturday, October 22nd and was won by Jonker in 2021.
In 2022, due to a storm in Victoria on Friday 21st October, the Manikato Stakes moved to Cox Plate day, at the same track, Moonee Valley. The Manikato Stake was Race 11 on the card, and took place at 6.25pm.
The Manikato Stakes is the second Group One of the season held at Moonee Valley Racecourse, following the Moir Stakes, and kicks off Cox Plate weekend at the Valley. Run over 1,200m and under weight-for-age conditions, the Manikato Stakes is held just six days after The Everest and can be used as a consolation prize for those that weren’t able to secure a place in the Richest Race on Turf.
The $1M on offer doesn’t compare to the $15M prizemoney pool in The Everest, but is still one of the richest sprint races that Australia has to offer and attracts some of the best sprinters because of that.
Since 1968, when Winfreux won the inaugural running of the Manikato Stakes, the likes of Dual Choice, Tauto, Manikato, Spinning Hill, Spark Of Life and Hey Doc have been able to win the race twice.
Other incredible horses like Strawberry Road, Dane Ripper, Redoute’s Choice, Sunline, Miss Andretti, Buffering and Chautauqua have also won. The race record is held by Hey Doc, who won in 2020 with a time of 1:08:76.
The Manikato Stakes is an Australian Group One race held at Moonee Valley Racecourse, seeing some of the best sprinters in the nation duel it out and attracts the attention of many Aussies who like to have a casual punt. Our expert tipsters will put together a short list of Manikato Stakes tips to look out for in the leadup to the big race.
Given nominations are yet to be accepted for the 2022 Manikato Stakes, it is hard to provide any updates at this time. However, as the Spring Carnival gets going, the horses that are targeting this race will become clearer and we will be able to provide you with updates. If you are after Manikato Stakes horse tips, then we will keep you informed with which horses are likely to be running, so you can place your futures bets with confidence!
We will list The Sharks’ Manikato Stakes best tips for the race this year closer to the time of the race. Make sure you check back on this page for updates!
Our tips are not out for the Manikato Stakes in 2022 as it is too far out from the event. But the good news is that when the final field for the Manikato Stakes is announced, we will provide guidance on each and every runner in the 2022 Manikato Stakes.
You will find all this information below, when it becomes available. Stay tuned, or alternatively you can chat to The Shark to get the best tips for every day!
When beginning to look at Manikato Stakes betting, there are a lot of important factors to consider. Make sure you have a read on below before you place your bets:
Is Previous Form in the Manikato Stakes a Good Indicator of Future Success?
When analysing this indicator, we can see that six horses have been able to win the Manikato Stakes multiple times, most recently with Hey Doc in 2017 & 2020. However, over recent history, we haven’t seen repeat success in the race.
Over the last 11 years, just two horses have been able to finish in the placings more than once. Hey Doc is obviously one, with the other being Rebel Dane – who won his first and only Group One race in the 2016 Manikato Stakes after finishing third the year before.
Rebel Dane proved that you are able to compete in the race and then go on to perform better in a future year, however the overall data indicates that you don’t have to have had previous form in the Manikato Stakes to have future success.
Should I Bet On The Favourite in the Manikato Stakes?
While the favourite of the Manikato Stakes has won four times from the last 11 runnings of the race, it may be best to look at betting around the favourite. Jonker definitely didn’t open as favourite in 2021 but was backed into $5.50 favourtism just before the race started, and won as if he was the best horse in the race.
Over the five years before 2021, three of the favourites were priced at $2 or shorter and the best result of those was 5th. The winners over that time had prices ranging from $7 – $61. Loving Gaby was second favourite in 2019 when winning at $7, Rebel Dane was the biggest outsider in 2016 but managed to cross the line first despite the $61 price tag while Hey Doc won in 2020 despite jumping as fifth favourite with a price of $10.
That indicates that it may be best to look around the favourite, especially given they haven’t won over the last five years and just one has resulted in getting a bonus bet back, depending on what agency you bet with.
Formlines Heading into the Manikato Stakes
There is no clear formline is the best way to go to winning the Manikato Stakes, with each of the last five winners taking different paths to victory. However, there are two recent trends that stick out. Firstly, being that each of the last three winners, Loving Gaby, Hey Doc and Jonker, contesting the Manikato Stakes third up in their preparation. The other is that two of the last four winners, Brave Smash and Hey Doc, contested the Moir Stakes at some stage during their lead-up.
Just two of the last six winners actually won a race during that preparation in the lead-up to winning the Manikato Stakes. Hey Doc, in 2017, won the G3 Aurie’s Star Handicap first up and Loving Gaby, in 2019, won the G3 Champagne Stakes first up as well.
That doesn’t help make the picture any more clear for us, however if your horse has either won their first up race, contested the Moir Stakes or is third up in their preparation, that may be the way to look, when also considering the other indicators we have analysed.
Age
When factoring age into your Manikato Stakes betting, it may be better to look for a five-year-old, with them winning three of their last 11 runnings. However, horses aged three, four, six and seven have each won twice over that span.
Hey Doc won as both a four-year-old (2017) and seven-year-old (2020) while Loving Gaby was just a three-year-old filly when she won in 2019. Brave Smash (2018), Chautauqua (2015) and Lankan Rupee (2014), with the latter two jumping as favourites, were all five-year-olds when winning the Manikato Stakes. Jonker won in 2021 as a six-year-old stallion, helping boost his stud price.
Here is a table indicating the ages of winners of the Manikato Stakes since the 2011 edition:
Age | # of Wins |
3 | 2 |
4 | 2 |
5 | 3 |
6 | 2 |
7 | 2 |
Gender
Males have typically dominated the Manikato Stakes, having nine of the last 11 winners. Of those nine, five were geldings, three were entires and one was a colt. That leaves just two females to win the race over that time, Loving Gaby as a filly in 2019 and the mare, Sea Siren, in 2012. There is a clear advantage in the data to male horses in the Manikato Stakes, and breaking it down further, geldings.
Weight
Given that dominance by male horses over the last 11 years and the weight-for-age conditions of the Manikato Stakes, eight of the last 11 winners have carried 58.5kg to victory.
Based on our data that we have analysed so far, your Manikato Stakes best bet is to look for a five-year-old male horse, preferably a gelding. It is best to bet around the favourite and is also worth looking at a horse that is third up and/or raced in the Moir Stakes in the lead-up.
Our tips are not out for the Manikato Stakes in 2022 as it is too far out from the event. But the good news is that when the final field for the Manikato Stakes is announced, we will provide guidance on each and every runner in the 2022 Manikato Stakes.
You will find all this information below, when it becomes available. Stay tuned, or alternatively you can chat to The Shark to get the best tips for every day!
Long before the Manikato Stakes field is officially announced – online bookies will open early markets, or all-in markets, for Manikato stakes betting. This is prime time to bet on your favourite horse, as you might be able to bet on strong contenders for the 2022 Manikato Stakes at double-digit odds.
Once the bookies release the 2022 Manikato Stakes odds, they will obviously fluctuate frequently in the lead up to the race, especially when we have a better idea of which horses will be targeting the race and their form leading into the race.
Punting early on these markets can find you a favourite at prices of $10 or more, which will retain you a much higher return on investment. However, there is increased risk with doing this and you should be well aware.
Depending on when you place a futures bet on the 2022 Manikato Stakes, your horse may not even run but you won’t get your money back, occurring when the market is ‘All-In’ or closer to the starting date. If you are betting when it says ‘Before Noms’, you have the security of receiving your money back if your horse doesn’t run.
The 2022 Manikato Stakes odds are out, and Marabi is the favourite over In The Congo and Paulele, who are both on the second line of betting. Here are the current odds, courtesy of Neds, as of mid-August:
Horse | Odds |
Marabi | $6.00 |
In The Congo | $8.00 |
Paulele | $8.00 |
In The Boat | $10 |
September Run | $11 |
Doull | $13 |
Away Game | $15 |
Best Of Bordeaux | $15 |
Big Parade | $15 |
Coolangatta | $15 |
Graceful Girl | $15 |
Lombardo | $15 |
Passive Aggressive | $15 |
Rothfire | $15 |
Swats That | $15 |
Given it is one of the premier sprint Group Ones of the Spring Carnival, the Manikato Stakes field is always packed with A-grade talent and previous Group One winners. The $1,000,000 on offer attracts some of those horses that weren’t selected for The Everest, meaning there is still plenty of talent on offer.
The final 2022 Manikato Stakes field is expected to be announced at the barrier draw, which is set to take place on Tuesday, October 19th.
With the race yet to be run, we still don’t know what the Manikato Stakes results for 2022 will be! However, check back in after the race and we will have all of the information on how the big race went and what the results are.
Looking back at the 2021 race, Jonker was able to jump, lead and win, out-lasting a fast-finishing Bella Nipotina. They then finished with a big gap back to third, with three-year-old colt Ingratiating finishing 2.35L back in third.
Jonker didn’t actually jump that well but Daniel Moor put in some work to ensure that the stallion got to the lead, which he was able to hold on to. Bella Nipotina actually jumped better than Jonker but was happy to take a sit behind him and trail him into the straight, however she had to wait for a run behind the winner and wasn’t able to catch him on the line.
You’ve read the words, now watch the video! Have a squiz below at the 2021 Manikato Stakes race:
The results for the upcoming Manikato Stakes are not yet available, but in the meantime, you can have a look below at all the recent past winners:
Year | Winner | Second | Third |
2022 | TBA | TBA | TBA |
2021 | Jonker | Bella Nipotina | Ingratiating |
2020 | Hey Doc | Trekking | Dirty Work |
2019 | Loving Gaby | Vital Silver | Anaheed |
2018 | Brave Smash | Spirit Of Valor | Kementari |
2017 | Hey Doc | In Her Time | Malaguerra |
2016 | Rebel Dane | Fell Swoop | Japonisme |
2015 | Chautauqua | Srikandi | Rebel Dane |
2014 | Lankan Rupee | Angelic Light | Famous Seamus |
2013 | Buffering | Lucky Nine | Sessions |
2012 | Sea Siren | Mental | We’re Gonna Rock |
2011 | Sepoy | Sister Madly | More Joyous |
2010 | Hay List | True Persuasion | Eagle Falls |
We'll message you the best Manikato Stakes tips, directly