UPDATE: After being abandoned due to lightning on Friday night the 2022 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes has been moved to Cox Plate Day running as Race 11 at 6:25pm (AEDT). 

The Godolphin-raced Paulele remains narrow favourite in an open Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes 2022 betting market ahead of the popular sprint showdown at The Valley on Cox Plate Day.

Originally scheduled to run on Friday night, the Manikato Stakes meeting was abandoned before the feature event due to lightning.

The rescheduled event now runs as Race 11 at 6:25pm (AEDT) on a huge Cox Plate Day meeting on Saturday. 

Schillaci Stakes winner Paulele is tipped to take out the 2022 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes – moved to Cox Plate Day on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.

Now officially the second elite level of the Cox Plate Carnival, this year’s Group 1 $2 million Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes (1200m) attracted a capacity field of sprinters.

Paulele and red-hot hoop James McDonald jump from a favourable barrier six draw with James Cummings’ Dawn Approach four-year-old presenting fit third-up.

After his sixth fresh in a tight Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) finish at Moonee Valley on September 23, Paulele franked the form winning Caulfield’s Group 2 Schillaci Stakes (1100m) last time out.

He looks to be improving each start, ready for the six furlongs and pays $3.70 as the favourite in Manikato Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au.

Three of his rivals are also at single-figures to take out the feature including the $4.40 second elect Bella Nipotina in barrier two.

The Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Pride Of Dubai mare won in the wet here over 1000m in August before her devastatingly close second in the Moir at double-figures behind her stablemate Coolangatta.

Jockey Craig Williams retains the ride at Moonee Valley where Bella Nipotina will be out to go one better than her second in a photo behind Jonker in last year’s Manikato Stakes result.

The Moir Stakes winning filly Coolangatta also returns and is at Manikato Stakes odds of $5.50.

Plenty of horses have won both the Moir Stakes and Manikato Stakes, but the last to do the double in the same year was Spinning Hill (2002).

The three-year-old daughter of Written Tycoon is out to emulate the 2019 victory of the fellow Maher/Eustace-trained filly Loving Gaby who won the Manikato for the stable three years ago.

The ultra-consistent young star in the making gets the rails run from barrier one in the Manikato and Ms Jamie Kah is aboard once again.

Rothfire ($7) rounds out the hopes under $10 for the win.

The Robert Heathcote-trained Rothesay five-year-old beat Coolangatta (3^rd) home two back at the track in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) before his luckless fifth in the Moir he is looking to atone for on Saturday.

The other three-year-old Manikato Stakes hopeful and last start winner in the mix is the Kacy Fogden-trained Best Of Bordeaux drawn out in gate 14 and paying $12 for an upset.

The in-form Snitzel colt has been excellent in Sydney this campaign and heads south on the back of a nearly two length victory on a Heavy (10) Randwick track in the Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) with 56.5kg.

Click here for the latest Manikato Stakes 2022 odds on the final field thanks to race sponsor Ladbrokes.com.au.

2022 Manikato Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.