The Lindsay Park trained sprinter Faatinah has been specked at double figure odds to win his first Group 1 trophy when he lines up in the $1m Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes (1200m) at The Valley tonight.
Faatinah, above in blue colours, has been well supported at double figures odds in the 2019 Manikato Stakes at The Valley. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Bookies at Ladbrokes.com.au have wound Faatinah’s price in from $19 to $16 on race morning and Lindsay Park’s head trainer David Hayes has given his backers plenty of confidence.
“If trackwork is any guide he will run a mighty race,” David Hayes said.
“Faatinah will go forward and make his own luck and run a really good race.
“I just feel that if things go right for him from the barrier (8), he’ll be a hard rabbit to catch.
“We have given him a good hit-out at Lindsay Park. Jamie Kah rode him and she couldn’t have been happier with him.”
Hayes trains in partnership with his son Ben Hayes and his nephew Tom Dabernig and said that the with twelve of the country’s best sprinters doing battle in the $14m The Everest (1200m) at Randwick last Saturday has made the Manikato Stakes a winnable target.
But Hayes is wary of the James Cummings trained Bivouac who beat The Everesst winner Yes Yes Yes when they clashed in the Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill on September 28.
“He (Faatinah) is going really well and we’ve set him for this race thinking The Everest might have just taken a bit of sting out of it,” Hayes said.
“I wish Bivouac ran in The Everest.”
Faatinah will jump from gate eight in the eleven horse Manikato Stakes with Jamie Kah in the saddle while the $1.90 favourite Bivouac has drawn the rails with Kerrin McEvoy replacing Golden Rose winning jockey Hugh Bowman.
Faatinah is a two times winner at The Valley and saluted there two starts back in the Group 2 $200,000 Mitty’s McEwen Stakes (1000m) before running fourth to Nature Strip in the Group 1 $1m Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes (1000m) four weeks ago.
Betting for the 2019 Manikato Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au: $1.90 Bivouac, $6.50 The Bostonian, $8 Trope, $9 Loving Gaby, $11 Anaheed, $16 Faatinah. $26 Rock Magic, Vital Silver, $41 Winter Bride, Meryl, $71 Ashlor.
