Tonight under the lights at Moonee Valley Racecourse the Moir Stakes 2016 takes centre stage featuring a top class line-up of sprinters, betting tips and the latest odds for the short-distance classic detailed below.

McEwen Stakes winner Wild Rain is at good odds for a top three run in the 2016 Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday night. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Running as Moonee Valley Race 7 at 9:30pm (AEST), this year’s $500,000 Group 1 Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes (1000m) features a field of nine hopefuls and running under the 15-starter capacity for the 20^th consecutive year.

All the rage in Moir Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au to hand co-trainer John Hawkes with his first A.J. Moir Stakes win since Sports Works back in 1993 is $6.5 million champion Chautauqua ($2.15).

The world’s highest rated sprinter is back at the Valley for the first time since his Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) victory last spring and is undefeated with two previous victories over the 1000m.

He is a Group 1 winner last start in Hong Kong and flies fresh making him the deserving favourite and one to beat.

So will Chautauqua salute for the punters or can the popular veteran Buffering ($6.50) win his fourth Moir Stakes in five years, or will the returning three-year-old Blue Diamond Stakes winner Extreme Choice ($4.80) handle the weight-for-age field of older rivals?

1^st

#2 Chautauqua ($2.15)

Chautauqua has the right first-up record (6-5-1-0), track record (2-2-0-0), distance record (2-2-0-0) and is all class. His trainers are confident he is only now, incredibly, reaching his peak as a six-year-old and the Group 1 Hong Kong win in May could just be the start. He’s deserving favourite, faces a small field in the perfect barrier five draw and should blow past these rivals without looking in trouble.

2^nd

#1 Buffering ($6.50)

Cannot discount the claims of this Robert Heathcote-trained nine-year-old who just keeps showing a zest for racing and racking up those Group 1s including the Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai during March. Things didn’t go right when last to Chautauqua in Hong Kong, but all reports are this three-time Moir Stakes winner and Moonee Valley (11-5-1-1) and 1000m (7-5-0-1) specialist is ready to go around again.

3^rd

#6 Wild Rain ($26)

For the value this in-form Mark Kavanagh-trained Manhattan Rain mare can surprise. She has had five runs at the Valley track for a trio of wins including over the 1000m last start in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes. She carried 56.5kg to victory that day, the same she has in tonight’s WFA, on the back of the Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) success at Caulfield in mid-July and second-up (4-2-1-0) she will only be going better.

To get behind our exclusive Moir Stakes 2016 betting tips or to lock in your own selections on the Friday night feature at the Valley at the right price head to Ladbrokes.com.au now.