MOONEE Valley Racing Club has elevated the Sportingbet Manikato Stakes to $1 million status.
Club chairman Bob Scarborough today announced a $250,000 prizemoney injection to the weight-for-age sprint, which will be run on the night before the Sportingbet Cox Plate.
With its increase to $1 million, the Manikato Stakes now joins the Newmarket Handicap and Patinack Farm Classic as $1 million sprints in Victoria.
As well as boosting the Manikato Stakes, Scarborough said the club had boosted the Moir Stakes prizemoney by $150,000 taking it to $450,000.
The Moir Stakes, recently bumped up to Group 1 level, will be run under lights on AFL Grand Final eve – September 27.
Scarborough said the increase to the Manikato Stakes emphasized the club’s desire for its two day Cox Plate carnival to become a “truly international racing event”.
He said the club is committed to attractibg the best and middle horses from around the world to Moonee Valley.
Racing Victoria Executive General Manager – Racing, Greg Carpenter, said before he left on an overseas break that the increase in prizemoney for the Manikato Stakes was a further boost for Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival.
“The elevation of the Sportingbet Manikato Stakes to a $1 million race will underpin growth in Moonee Valley’s new Cox Plate Eve meeting and further strengthens our feature race calendar during the Spring Racing Carnival,” Carpenter said.
Source : TVN
