The Manikato Stakes is a Group 1 thoroughbred horse race run over a distance of 1200 metres at Moonee Valley Racecourse. This event is named after the great race horse Manikato and takes place on the Friday night before the WS Cox Plate. The Manikato Stakes is for horses three years and over, with $1 million in prize money up for grabs and lots of healthy competition.
The Manikato Stakes is an important part of the racing calendar in Australia, especially after it became part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge in 2009. Inclusion into the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series was an important milestone for the Manikato Stakes, with winners now qualifying automatically for a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in the United States.
The Manikato Stakes is a relative newcomer to the Australian racing circuit, starting out in 1968 over a distance of 6 furlongs. It became a 1200 metre event in 1972 with the advent of the metric system, and has kept that distance ever since. The Manikato Stakes was run as a Principal Race between 1968 and 1978, graduating to a Group 2 event in 1979 and a Group 1 race in 1989.
The Manikato Stakes was known as the Freeway Stakes between 1968 and 1983, and only took its current name in the 1984 racing season. A few horses have made their mark in this event over the years, including Spinning Hill who won in 2002 and 2003 and Spark Of Life who was victorious in 2004 and 2005.
Some of the other notable winners include Manikato in 1979 and 1982, Rubiton in 1987, Sunline in 2000, and Miss Andretti in 2006. Over the last few years, recent winners have included Danleigh in 2009, Hay List in 2010, Sepoy in 2011, and Sea Siren in 2012.