GRAND FINAL EVE DRAWCARD THE G1 MANIKATO & JOCKEY CHALLENGE
MOONEE VALLEY Racing Club will launch Night Racing for the 2009/10 season on Friday night with the running of the $500,000 Group 1 Sportingbet Manikato Stakes and the Cathay Pacific Superstar8 Jockey Challenge.
The AFL Grand Final Eve Meeting will ignite a weekend festival of sport in Melbourne, with the Manikato Stakes, 1200m, spearheading a stellar race card, supported by the $200,000 Group 2 Statue Of Liberty Stutt Stakes, 1600m, $150,000 Group 3 TBV/Eliza Champagne Stakes, 1200m, and $100,000 Listed Tatts Group JRA Cup, 2040m.
Having a Group 1 race under lights and witnessing Australia’s fastest sprinters competing for the Sportingbet Manikato Stakes will be an exciting way to launch the season.
In what is a super field, Nicconi was very impressive with a first up win in the McEwen Stakes at Moonee Valley and the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes winner Turffontein will back up for Anthony Cummings joining Cummings’ other runners, Duporth and Solo Flyer. Greg Eurell’s two runners Apache Cat and Mic Mac will also be terrific chances.
Singapore’s Tatts Cox Plate contender, Jolie’s Shinju will feature in the Tatts JRA Cup in her lead up to the Weight-For-Age championship, the Group 1 Cox Plate, to be decided on Saturday 24th October.
With 18 night meetings programmed for the 2009 / 2010 season, the MVRC believes that a Group 1 race will further enhance the positioning of racing under lights at Moonee Valley.
With 10 ‘feature’ nights programmed for the 2009/10 season, there will be a minimum of $560,000 on offer each feature night, and more than $8M in total across the night racing season.
This year’s Manikato prizemoney has risen by $150,000 taking it to $500,000 and the eight race season opening meeting prizemoney will total $1.23 million.
CATHAY PACIFIC SUPERSTAR8 JOCKEY CHALLENGE – HONKERS V OZ
In what will be a very entertaining night, Moonee Valley will also showcase the best jockeys from around the world riding in the Cathay Pacific Superstar8 Jockey Challenge. Douglas Whyte, Brett Prebble, Olivier Doleuze and Howard Cheng will represent the team from the Hong Kong Jockey Club while Damien Oliver, Craig Newitt, Dwayne Dunn, and Craig Williams will form the Victorian line-up.
There will be a points system across the night which will determine the winning team after the three race series (1st - 10 points, 2nd - 7 points, 3rd - 6 points, 4th - 5 points, 5th - 4 points, 6th - 3 points, 7th - 2 points, 8th to last - 1 point).
The Superstar8 Jockey Challenge will be run over Race 2 – Specto Security Plate, Race 3 – 1300 Tip Trucks Handicap, and Race 4 – Programmed Property Services Handicap.
PROFILES OF JOCKEYS CONTESTING THE CHALLENGE
HOWARD CHENG
Born in 1981, Howard is a former champion apprentice and the most successful Chinese jockey of his generation. He enjoyed a best ever season in 2006/07 with 40 winners to follow his next best tally of 37 wins as an apprentice in 2000/01. He has still landed over 250 career wins and is constantly in demand. He has won the prestigious National Day Cup for four of the last six seasons and his best win came last season aboard world champion Sacred Kingdom in the Gr.2 Gome Sprint. Cheng was 2008 Beijing Olympics torchbearer in the Sha Tin Racecourse of the Hong Kong Torch Relay on May 2008.
OLIVIER DOLEUZE
Born in 1972 Olivier is son to jockey turned trainer, Georges. Former champion apprentice in France, Olivier rode for Criquette Head-Maarek, considered to be one of the leading female trainers in the world. Classic wins in France include Green Tune in the Gr. 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (1600m) and Egyptband in the Gr. 1 Prix de Diane (2100m). Olivier has over 700 career wins to his name including a stellar season in Hong Kong were he rode 67 winners in 2006/07. Olivier has captured the Gr. 1 Hong Kong Mile on two occasions aboard The Duke in 2006 and then Good Baa Baa in 2007. Good Baa Baa and Olivier combined again to win the Gr. 1 Champions Mile.
DOUGLAS WHYTE
Born in Durban, South Africa in 1971, Douglas is regarded one of the world’s best jockeys’. Champion Jockey in Hong Kong on nine occasions, Douglas in 2004 was the first jockey to achieve 100 wins in a Hong Kong racing season amassing 106. In 2008 Douglas become the first jockey to ride 1,000 winners in Hong Kong, an outstanding achievement taking into account there is only two meetings a week in Hong Kong. Over his journey in Hong Kong, Douglas has ridden some of the world’s great horses including Viva Pataca, Indigenous and Oriental Express.
BRETT PREBBLE
Born in Victoria in 1977, Brett can truly be considered a world-class international rider. Champion apprentice for three consecutive seasons and twice Champion Jockey in Melbourne, Brett is the youngest ever winner of the Scobie Breasley Medal for riding excellence. Brett has 17 Australian Group 1 victories to his name including his last at Moonee Valley aboard Cape of Good Hope in the Australia Stakes. Brett’s break-through win in Hong Kong was aboard Precision in the Gr. 1 Champions & Chater Cup (2400m). Brett’s biggest win was atop Absolute Champion in 2006 claiming Gr. 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) and most recently aboard Slight Winner trained by John Size in the Gr.1 Champions Mile.
CRAIG WILLIAMS
Craig Williams is another hoop from a long-line of horsemen. Apprenticed to his father, Craig was dux of the Victorian Apprentices’ School on two occasions. Craig’s first Group 1 winner came aboard the Lee Freedman trained Echezeaux to capture the Australasian Oaks in 2000. Shortly after, Craig ventured to England where he rode an impressive 52 winners including two Group 1 wins on the precocious Tobougg. In 2002 Craig took a retainer to ride in Dubai, again with great success, 14 winners at a strike rate of 24%. Craig soon found his way to the pinnacle of racing, Hong Kong and amassed a further 100 race wins. On return to Australia, Craig dominated at Group 1 level including victory in the 2006 Cox Plate aboard Fields of Omagh. Craig has 21 Group 1 wins to his credit and has been awarded the Scobie Beasley Medal for Victoria’s leading rider four times.
DWAYNE DUNN
Dwayne Dunn is very much the quiet achiever amongst the jockey ranks, Dwayne learnt his trade in South Australia notching his maiden win in Gawler. Dwayne has completed multiple successful stints in Hong Kong were he has ridden 115 winners at Sha Tin and Happy Valley including victory in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint on Charming City. In 2005 Dwayne rode his first Group 1 winner in Australia for Mark Kavanagh aboard Undoubtedly in the Blue Diamond Stakes, Dwayne won an unprecedented 4 consecutive Blue Diamond races. Dwayne won his first major on Tawqeet for long-term supporter David Hayes capturing the Group 1 Caulfield Cup. Dwayne has started a new chapter in his life and is now the stable jockey for the
CRAIG NEWITT
Craig Newitt was born into a rich racing dynasty, both his parent were jockeys as were their fathers. Craig captured the Tasmanian Jockeys’ Premiership in 2000/01 as an up and coming apprentice. In 2002 Craig was tempted to Victoria by none other than Lee Freedman. Craig rode 21 winners in his first month based at Caulfield and the 2002/03 Victorian Metropolitan Apprentices’ Premiership. In 2005/06 he rode four Group 1 winners including Perfect Promise, Snitzel, Roman Arch & La Montagna. In 2007 Craig and Miss Andretti dominated the Australian sprint scene before the pair combined for victory in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. Craig has continued his winning ways capturing the Group 1 Cadbury Guineas aboard Light Fantastic.
DAMIEN OLIVER
Hall of Fame inductee Damien Oliver was born in a saddle and follows a rich family tradition of Australian horsemen. Leading WA apprentice in his first season, the young up and comer was offered a three month trial by astute trainer Lee Freedman, and as they say in the classics, the rest is history. Damien rode his first Group 1 aboard Submariner in 1990 and at the completion of his apprenticeship had amassed 18 Group 1 wins. Damien currently has 82 Group 1 wins to his name and has been awarded the Scobie Beasley Medal for Victoria’s leading rider six times.
The first race on Friday night will be run at 6.40pm and the 8th race at 10.20pm. Gates open at 5.10pm.
For further information contact: Leigh Newton PR & Marketing Executive 0419 355 762
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