Australia: Manighar and Shoot Out meet in Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill

Manighar and Shoot Out, Group 1 winners on March 10, are two of the leading contenders for Saturday’s $428,000 Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill Racecourse in Australia.

Manighar, fifth in the 2011 Melbourne Cup, won the $1.07 million Australian Cup at Flemington Racecourse on March 10. A 6-year-old French-bred gelding trained by Peter Moody, of Black Caviar fame, Manighar is making his second consecutive start over about 1 1/4 miles on turf in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes.

Shoot Out, a 6-year-old Australian-bred gelding, won the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes over about a mile at Warwick Farms Racecourse earlier this month, his first graded stakes win since August 2010.

Saturday’s nine-race program at Rosehill includes the $635,000 Coolmore Classic, a Group 1 for fillies and mares over about 7 1/2 furlongs on turf.

Secret Admirer, the winner of the Group 1 Epsom Handicap last October, is part of a field of 14, and will be trying to end a three-race losing streak. A 5-year-old mare, Secret Admirer was third in her only start this year, the Group 3 Southern Cross Handicap on Feb. 12.

In the Coolmore Classic, Secret Admirer must beat King’s Rose, who was second in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes last November.

◗ Synchronised, the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 16, will make his next start in the grueling Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree Racecourse on April 14, trainer Jonjo O’Neill said earlier this week.

Synchronised, a 9-year-old gelding, is the 8-1 favorite along with the Prince De Beauchene, a stakes winner in Ireland last month.

Synchronised will attempt to become the first horse to win the Gold Cup and Grand National in the same year since Golden Miller in 1934.

The Grand National is run over four miles and four furlongs, and features 30 fences.