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The Group 1 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes is one of the premier weight-for-age races held at Moonee Valley Racecourse in Victoria during the annual Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. Named after the superb sprinter Manikato, the race offers $2 million in total prize money as of 2022.

The race often takes place under the lights at The Valley on the Friday night prior to the Cox Plate.

In 2023 the Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes will run on Cox Plate Day on a Saturday in late October.

Run over 1200 metres the Manikato Stakes is sponsored by Ladbrokes.com.au and attracts a star-studded field of sprinters with many coming off an earlier Moonee Valley run in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) the month before.

Both Buffering (2013) and Lankan Rupee (2014) ran second in the Moir Stakes before their respective Manikato Stakes victories. The 2018 Manikato Stakes winner Brave Smash also improved on a lead-up second in the Moir Stakes before his victory, but placed eighth in Sydney’s The Everest in between the two Group 1 sprints at The Valley.

Imperatriz (2023) was the last sprinter to complete the Moir Stakes – Manikato Stakes double when the star mare made it four straight victories at the track.

The 2021 Manikato Stakes form was franked with the runner-up Bella Nipotina running third next-up in the VRC Sprint Classic behind Nature Strip.

Bella Nipotina ran second in the Moir Stakes in 2022, and she went on to demolish her rivals in the rescheduled Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes winning by over four lengths on Cox Plate Day.

The Manikato form was again franked by the 2022 winner Bella Nipotina who went on to place in a host of subsequent events including running third the following April in the inaugural $4 million The Quokka race in WA.

The 2023 Manikato Stakes ran on Saturday October 28, 2023 at Moonee Valley Racecourse as part of Cox Plate Day and was won by Mark Walker’s ‘Queen of The Valley’, Imperatriz ($1.40F) saluting by over three lengths. 

Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes
Date:	Saturday October 28, 2023
Track:	Moonee Valley Racecourse
Distance:	1200m
Race Type:	Weight-For-Age
Status:	Group 1
Prize Money:	$2 million

2023 Manikato Stakes Results

• 1st: #6 Imperatriz ($1.40F)
• 2nd: #7 I Am Me
• 3rd: #3 Uncommon James

Mark Walker’s Moonee Valley specialist, former New Zealand-trained mare Imperatriz ($1.40F), saluted in the style of her odds-on price with a dominant three length success to make it four-from-four on the trot at the course when taking out another Group 1 at The Valley in the 2023 Manikato Stakes results.

Click here to read more on the big win by the odds-on favourite Imperatriz in the Manikato Stakes 2023.

Check out the official Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes 2023 Results & Finishing Order below once the $2 million sprint takes place at The Valley on the Cox Plate Day 2023.

2023 Manikato Stakes Results & Finishing Order

	Finish	No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Bar.	Weight	Penalty	Starting Price
	1	6	IMPERATRIZ	Mark Walker	Opie Bosson		4	56.5kg		$1.40F
	2	7	I AM ME	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	James McDonald	3.25L	5	56.5kg		$6
	3	3	UNCOMMON JAMES	Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoysted	Damian Lane	3.65L	2	58.5kg		$10
	4	1	THE INFERNO	Cliff Brown	Jake Noonan	3.75L	3	58.5kg		$41
	5	4	JIGSAW	Cindy Alderson	Daniel Moor	7L	6	58.5kg		$31
	6	5	I AM WAR	Trevor J Andrews	Jamie Mott	7.4L	1	58.5kg		$91
	SB	2	BUENOS NOCHES	Matthew Smith	Blake Shinn		0	58.5kg

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2023 Manikato Stakes Betting Odds

The latest Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes 2023 odds on the field of star sprinters facing off at Moonee Valley will be listed below complete with links to the markets at race sponsor Ladbrokes.com.au so you can lock in your Manikato Stakes tips as soon as betting opens.

Jonker ($5.50 in 2021) and Imperatriz ($1.40 in 2023) are the latest favourites in Manikato Stakes betting to salute for the punters.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST 2023 LADBROKES MANIKATO STAKES ODDS (Final Field)

2023 Manikato Stakes Form

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2023 LADBROKES MANIKATO STAKES FORM GUIDE

2023 Manikato Stakes Tips

Top Manikato Stakes betting tips include looking for Group 1 performers with previous experience at the tight Moonee Valley circuit, backing the Moir Stakes graduates from earlier in the season, and looking for horses that have finished in the money in the Manikato Stakes results from previous years.

• To Win: #6 Imperatriz ($1.45 at time of publish) – BET NOW

There’s zero value in this year’s Manikato but it is impossible to tip against the odds-on favourite here. This super mare is flying and chases her fourth win not only on the trot but at the track. She is a genuine Moonee Valley specialist and two of her past three here have been in Group 1 company including over the 1200m in the William Reid over the autumn. Fresh she was outstanding in the McEwen and then her Moir Stakes success in race record time put the writing on the wall for the Manikato. She is fit, she’ll relish the six furlongs now, and with just six rivals it is not hard to see why she is being backed as if unbeatable.

2023 Manikato Stakes Field & Barriers

The Manikato Stakes field attracts a star-studded line-up of spring sprinters, many of which are proven Group 1 performers. Horses that contested Sydney’s Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) during the autumn often target the Manikato Stakes in the spring.

A key lead-up race into the Manikato Stakes field is Flemington’s Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) with Chautauqua (2015) recently completing the double.

Following a run in the Manikato Stakes field horses may target the Group 1 VRC Classic (1200m) down the Flemington straight over the Melbourne Cup Carnival, a race the 2015 Manikato winner Chautauqua ran second in.

The 2023 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes field and barrier draw is released on the Tuesday of race week and will be published in full below as soon as announced.

The Manikato Stakes 2023 final field features just seven final acceptors with Moir Stakes winning mare Imperatriz chasing her fourth straight win at the track from a gun barrier four draw as the odds-on favourite.

Click here to read more on the key runners in the Manikato Stakes 2023 field and betting markets.

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Probable Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	400x9275x4	THE INFERNO	Cliff Brown	Jake Noonan	3	58.5kg			103
2	123x57x138	BUENOS NOCHES	Matthew Smith	Blake Shinn	5	58.5kg			109
3	11x2128x32	UNCOMMON JAMES	Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoysted	Damian Lane	2	58.5kg			109
4	7x111101x5	JIGSAW	Cindy Alderson	Daniel Moor	7	58.5kg			105
5	1161x900x2	I AM WAR	Trevor J Andrews	Jamie Mott	1	58.5kg			80
6	8x11121x11	IMPERATRIZ	Mark Walker	Opie Bosson	4	56.5kg			118
7	x11117x161	I AM ME	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	James McDonald	6	56.5kg			109

Table Credit: Racing Australia. 

2023 Manikato Stakes Nominations

Early nominations for the Manikato Stakes in 2023 close on the Friday prior to race week.

The 2023 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes nominations drew just 16 entries with all-in betting led by the odds-on favourite Imperatriz who has won her past three starts at the track consecutively including the Group 1 Moir Stakes last time out.

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	11x344x121	ASFOORA	M	5	Henry Dwyer	111
2	x30236x333	BELLA NIPOTINA	M	6	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	111
3	123x57x138	BUENOS NOCHES	H	4	Matthew Smith	109
4	x3899464x3	CHAIN OF LIGHTNING	M	5	Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	104
5	0x6117x217	ESPIONA	M	5	Chris Waller	111
6	x11117x161	I AM ME	M	5	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	109
7	1161x900x2	I AM WAR	G	5	Trevor J Andrews	80
8	8x11121x11	IMPERATRIZ	M	5	Mark Walker	118
9	7x111101x5	JIGSAW	G	5	Cindy Alderson	105
10	21x0x988x4	LOMBARDO	G	7	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	106
11	6690x12x20	OVERPASS	G	5	Bjorn Baker	111
12	6760×68586	ROCKETING BY	G	6	David Pfieffer	102
13	1110412×71	SHE DANCES	M	4	Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	96
14	400x9275x4	THE INFERNO	G	7	Cliff Brown	103
15	11x2128x32	UNCOMMON JAMES	G	5	Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoysted	109
16	x01133x350	ZAPATEO	M	5	James Cummings	108

Table Credit: Racing Australia.