Moir Stakes winner Nature Strip is among the first acceptances for the 2019 Group 1 $1m Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on October 25.

Moir Stakes winner Nature Strip, above, is among the first acceptances for the 2019 Manikato Stakes at The Valley. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Nature Strip claimed his second Group 1 trophy with a gutsy win in the $1m Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes (1000m) at The Valley on September 27 and the classy sprinter is one of three Chris Waller trained horses included in the twenty-nine first acceptances for the Manikato Stakes.

Waller has also accepted with Zousain and the Group 1 Golden Rose runner-up Yes Yes Yes.

Trainer James Cummings has five sprinters still in contention for the Manikato Stakes with Group 1 winners Alizee, Microphone, Trekking and Bivouac as well as the European import Home Of The Brave.

Cummings latest Group 1 winner, three year old Bivouac, put in a gigantic effort to hold out Yes Yes Yes to win the Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill on September 28.

Co-trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace also have multiple first acceptances for the Manikato Stakes with Dubious, Loving Gaby and Bons Away.

Loving Gaby returned from a spell in dynamic form with a win in the Group 3 $160,000 Piper-Heidsieck Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on September 27 and Maher said that the three year old filly has plenty of improvement to come.

“She was a little bit vulnerable because of where she’s at – she’s a bit soft in her preparation so that will bring her right up to speed,” co-trainer Ciaron Maher said.

“She was a bit soft but that’s what good horses do.”

“They just don’t do that unless they are exceptional and I think she is.”

“She came to the races against a pretty slick field and she’s not fully fit yet and she had to do it the tough way a little bit. She had no favours.”

“She had four group 1 races in her first preparation and they aren’t motor bikes.”

Multiple Group 1 winner’s Santa Ana Lane and The Bostonian have been included in the first acceptances for the Manikato Stakes as has the Aidan O’Brien trained Irish sprinter Ten Sovereigns.

Final acceptances for the Manikato Stakes will close at 8.30am (AEDT) on Tuesday, 22 October.

First acceptances for the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m)