The horse to beat in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes at The Valley

The Group 1 Manikato Stakes will be run over 1200m at The Valley on Friday night.

Imperatriz won the race last year, following in the footsteps of Bella Nipotina, Jonker, Hey Doc (twice) and Loving Gaby as other recent winners.

Read our analysis of the race below:

Growing Empire steps up to Group 1 class for the first time but looks a horse capable of winning a race like the Manikato.

His win in the Listed Poseidon at Flemington last start was extremely classy and has no doubt contributed to his early favouritism.

Craig Williams jumps on to replace Mark Zahra at the light weight of 52kg and the colt maps to get a nice run from barrier 7 with only one major speed influence, Recommendation, drawn beneath him.

He should give a pretty decent sight at around $5 and is the horse to beat.

It’s a tough field to dissect but the resuming Veight appears slightly over the odds at around $10.

He owns a banging first-up record (3 from 3) and is already a winner at The Valley over 1200m in January.

Hayasugi must be respected but the draw in gate 2 is a little bit awkward as she might be buried away on the fence.

I Wish I Win is the class but his racing style can be costly.

Selections

12 - Growing Empire
2 - Veight
13 - Hayasugi
1 - I Wish I Win

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