PROFESSIONAL punters across Australia have made it clear over the past 48 hours that Peter Moody will win Saturday's Doomben Cup in Queensland, but it won't be with the mare who this time last year was favourite for the Melbourne and Caulfield cups and Cox Plate, reports The Age.It says: While Lights Of Heaven has made a strong and very much improved autumn carnival return, in stark contrast to her inglorious efforts in the spring, punters maintain that her stablemate, Manighar, who has been rej
PROFESSIONAL punters across Australia have made it clear over the past 48 hours that Peter Moody will win Saturday's Doomben Cup in Queensland, but it won't be with the mare who this time last year was favourite for the Melbourne and Caulfield cups and Cox Plate, reports The Age.
It says: While Lights Of Heaven has made a strong and very much improved autumn carnival return, in stark contrast to her inglorious efforts in the spring, punters maintain that her stablemate, Manighar, who has been rejuvenated since switching to the Moody stable, is the horse to beat in the group 1 event.
The former English galloper has firmed from $4 to $2.40. Lights of Heaven is on the third line of betting at $5.50. Splitting the Moody pair at $5 is Kiwi filly Shez Sinsational, who narrowly defeated Lights Of Heaven in the Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast earlier this month. Moody's No. 1 stable rider, Luke Nolen, will ride Manighar, but has warned the weight-for-age feature is not a one-horse race.
''I've been around long enough to know there's no such thing as an over-the-line proposition, as some are saying,'' he said.''I don't believe in those things, even for Black Caviar.''
Nolen hasn't ridden Manighar since the stayer completed a hat-trick of group 1 wins in the BMW Stakes (2400 metres) at Rosehill on April 7. Damien Oliver had the mount at Manighar's most recent start, when second to super mare More Joyous in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on April 28. (www.theage.com.au)