Mic Mac will join stablemate Apache Cat in the Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday week following a decision to bypass this year's Cox Plate with the four-year-old.Trainer Greg Eurell had a meeting with owner Maurice Messara on Sunday and they agreed Mic Mac needed to have beaten Whobegotyou in last Saturday's Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at the Valley for them to progress to the Cox Plate.Mic Mac was runner-up in the Group Two feature, beaten a length by Whobegotyou but beat the thir

Mic Mac will join stablemate Apache Cat in the Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday week following a decision to bypass this year's Cox Plate with the four-year-old.

Trainer Greg Eurell had a meeting with owner Maurice Messara on Sunday and they agreed Mic Mac needed to have beaten Whobegotyou in last Saturday's Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at the Valley for them to progress to the Cox Plate.

Mic Mac was runner-up in the Group Two feature, beaten a length by Whobegotyou but beat the third-placed Jolie's Shinju by 2-3/4 lengths.

"Knowing how strong Whobegotyou is at 2000 metres, him beating us at 1600 showed it was going to be a frivolous exercise," Eurell said.

"Mic Mac hadn't even raced when Whobegotyou won the Caulfield Guineas last spring, so he's a bit more seasoned and has more experience than Mic Mac.

"We'll drop him back to the 1200 metres. We'll put a nomination in for the Manikato, see how he is and, if he's right, he'll run."

Eurell said Apache Cat, who will be chasing his ninth Group One win in the Manikato (1200m), had been eased for a couple of weeks after suffering a stone bruise which forced him out of his scheduled return in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield late last month.

"We've just been waiting for the Manikato to come around for him," Eurell said.

The Cranbourne trainer said both stable stars would go on to contest the Group Two Schweppes Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day and the Group One Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) at Flemington on November 7.

Danny Nikolic will again ride Mic Mac in the Manikato, while Damien Oliver sticks with Apache Cat.

Eurell said he was happy with the way Caulfield Cup prospect Majestical was going and he would back him up in Saturday's Group Three Naturalism Stakes (2000m) after his sixth in the Dato Tan Chin Nam, beaten just over six lengths.

The winner of the Naturalism is exempt from the Caulfield Cup ballot but can be re-handicapped.

Majestical, the winner of the 2008 Cranbourne Cup (2025m), is currently equal 54th in the elimination order.

The Montjeu six-year-old has been given 50.5kg, 8.5kg below weight-for-age, in the Caulfield Cup.

There were 43 nominations for the Naturalism and 14 of those horses were also entered for the Group One Underwood Stakes (1800m) including Majestical.