The Manikato Stakes is a

Moonee Valley Racing Club The Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC) was founded by William Samuel (W.S.) Cox), in 1883 is located at The Valley Racecourse on McPherson Street, Moonee Ponds (a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia). It is one of three racing clubs in the Mel ...

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (motorsport), a regulation set of the FIA for series-production touring cars used in motorsport. * Group One Thoroughbred horse races, the leading e ...

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

for horses aged three years old and over under

Weight for age {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. History The principle of WFA was developed by Henry John Rous, Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English ...

conditions, over a distance of 1200 metres. It is held at

Moonee Valley Racecourse Moonee Valley Racecourse, currently marketed as The Valley, is a horse-racing track in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. History Moonee Valley Racecourse was established in 1883 by William Samuel (W.S.) Cox, who purchased a far ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

in late October. Total prize money for the race is A$2,000,000

History

The race is named after the great race horse

Manikato Manikato (1975–1984) was a champion Australian Thoroughbred racehorse of the late 1970s and early 1980s. He established new track records in three races and was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. Manikato was the second Australi ...

, who won this race twice as well as winning 5 consecutive William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley from 1979 to 1983. In 2009 the event was part of the

Breeders' Cup Challenge The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of Thoroughbred horse races in which the winner earns an automatic spot in a specified Breeders' Cup race. The challenge races change somewhat each year. The Challenge series began in 2007 with 24 "Win and Yo ...

series with the winner of the Manikato Stakes automatically qualifying for a berth in the

Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint The Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint is a Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. As its name implies, it is a part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-end championship for North American ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. From 2012, the race date was moved to

Cox Plate The W. S. Cox Plate is a Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over under Weight for age conditions, over a distance of 2040 metres (approximately 1m 2f), that is held by the Moonee Valley Racin ...

Carnival Friday night in late October. While the race is a sprinter's race there are 4 winners who have won the prestigious

W. S. Cox Plate The W. S. Cox Plate is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over under Weight for age conditions, over a distance of 2040 metres (approximately 1m 2f), that is held by the Moonee Valley Racing Club at Moo ...

:
*

Strawberry Road Strawberry Road (28 September 1979 – 1 June 1995) was a champion Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who went on to race in Germany, France, the United States, and Japan. Bred in New South Wales, he was by the 'superbly-bred' Whiskey Road ( N ...

(1983), Rubiton (1987),

Dane Ripper Dane Ripper is an Australian Thoroughbred race horse. Trained by Bart Cummings, she was the winner of a number of Group races: * 1997 Stradbroke Handicap, when ridden by Chris Munce, beating Quick Flick and Celestial Choir * 1997 Cox Plate, wh ...

(1997) and

Sunline Sunline (29 September 1995 – 1 May 2009) was a champion New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the world's highest earning race mare of her time. She won 32 of her 48 races with earnings of NZ$14,200,000. She was named t ...

(2000).

Distance

* 1968–1971 - 6

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains, or approximately 201 metres. It is no ...

(~1200 metres) * 1972 onwards - 1200 metres

Grade

* 1968–1978 - Principal race * 1979–1988 -

Group 2 The term Group 2 may refer to: * Alkaline earth metal The alkaline earth metals are six chemical elements in group (periodic table), group 2 of the periodic table. They are beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (B ...

race * 1989 onwards -

race

Name

* 1968–1983 - Freeway Stakes * 1984 onwards - Manikato Stakes

Record

Time: Track record for the 1200 metres at Moonee Valley is 1:08.76 set by Hey Doc in this race in 2020.

Winners

* 2024 - Southport Tycoon * 2023 -

Imperatriz Imperatriz is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Maranhão. The city extends along the northeastern bank of the Tocantins River and is crossed by the Belém-Brasília Highway, standing on the border with the state of Tocantins (state), Tocant ...

* 2022 -

Bella Nipotina Bella Nipotina (foaled 2017) is a retired four-time Group 1 winning Australian Thoroughbred racehorse. She has earned the second highest prize money amount of any Australian racehorse, only behind Winx. Background Bella Nipotina is sired by ...

* 2021 - Jonker *2020 - Hey Doc *2019 - Loving Gaby *2018 - Brave Smash *2017 - Hey Doc *2016 - Rebel Dane *2015 -

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

*2014 - Lankan Rupee *2013 - Buffering *2012 - Sea Siren *2011 -

Sepoy ''Sepoy'' () is a term related to ''sipahi'', denoting professional Indian infantrymen, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire and the Maratha. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its Euro ...

*2010 -

Hay List Hay List (24 August 2005 – 3 February 2015) was a thoroughbred racehorse trained and bred in Australia. He won Manikato Stakes and All Aged Stakes, two Group one races. He was known as one of the major rivals of undefeated mare Black Caviar. Ha ...

*2009 - Danleigh *2008 - Typhoon Zed *2007 - Gold Edition *2006 -

Miss Andretti Miss Andretti was the 2007 Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year and is the only Thoroughbred in racing history to simultaneously hold a total of five track records in Australia and England. In 2023, Miss Andretti was inducted into the Aust ...

*2005 - Spark Of Life *2004 - Spark Of Life *2003 - Spinning Hill *2002 - Spinning Hill *2001 - Piavonic *2000 -

*1999 -

Redoute's Choice Redoute's Choice (15 August 1996 – 26 March 2019) was a multiple Group One-winning Australian Thoroughbred racehorse and also a Leading sire in Australia, champion sire. He is by the phenomenal international sire Danehill (horse), Danehill ( ...

*1998 -

*1997 - Spartacus *1996 - Poetic King *1995 - You Remember *1994 - Spanish Mix *1993 - Never Undercharge *1992 - King Marauding *1991 - Sonic Express *1990 - Street Ruffian *1989 - Our Westminster *1988 - Rancho Ruler *1987 - Rubiton *1986 - Lockley's Tradition *1985 - Touch Of Genius *1984 - Vite Cheval *1983 -

*1982 -

*1981 - Silver Bounty *1980 - Grey Sapphire *1979 -

*1978 - Vice Regal *1977 - Ease The Squeeze *1976 - Scamanda *1975 - Lord Dudley *1974 - Tauto *1973 - Tauto *1972 - Century *1971 - Dual Choice *1970 - Dual Choice *1969 -

Vain Vain may refer to: * Vain (band), an American glam metal band formed in 1986 * Vain (horse) (1966–1991), an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse * Vain Stakes, an Australian Thoroughbred horse race * Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia, a medical dis ...

*1968 - Winfreux

References

{{Reflist, 2 Group 1 stakes races in Australia Open sprint category horse races Recurring sporting events established in 1968