Australia: Savatoxl gets another shot at the big time in Manikato at Moonee Valley
This has been a year of Group 1 appearances in Australia for the 6-year-old gelding Savatoxl, who began his career in 2018 and 2019 at tiny racecourses in Alice Springs and Darwin.
Savatoxl won the Group 1 Goodwood Stakes at six furlongs at Morphettville Racecourse, near Adelaide, on May 15, and the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes at six furlongs at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne on Oct. 9.
Savatoxl will have his debut at Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne in Friday’s Group 1 Manikato Stakes at six furlongs.
A four-time stakes winner, Savatoxl has won 17 of 31 starts, including eight of his first 10 starts at Alice Springs from March 2018 to May 2019. Not many runners from Alice Springs go on to win major stakes at metropolitan tracks.
With the recent stakes wins, Savatoxl was a narrow 7-2 choice for the Manikato as of Wednesday. Lombardo, a rapidly improving 5-year-old gelding who will have his Group 1 debut in the $749,400 Manikato Stakes, was the 9-2 second choice.
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Savatoxl, trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, drew post 8 in a field of 13 in the Manikato. Considering Savatoxl’s tendency to run near the front, the draw should work in his favor at Moonee Valley, which has a short stretch run of 173 meters compared to more conventional distances of 334 meters at Morphettville or 367 at Caulfield.
Lombardo, a winner of 6 of 10 starts, won his stakes debut in the listed Caulfield Village Stakes at six furlongs as the 4-5 favorite at Caulfield on Oct. 9. Lombardo has won on the lead at times, but has won his last two starts from off the pace.
This will be the Group 1 debut for the intriguing Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old filly Sneaky Five, who has won all three of her starts in stakes. Sneaky Five won her 2021 debut in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs at Caulfield on Oct. 9 on the same card as the Schillaci and Caulfield Village Stakes.