The Valley

With horses, riders, organisers, participants and the crowd all doing their part, Mills hopes the night will become tradition in coming years. “The revised spring program, announced in March this year, was about driving a logical G1 black-type sprint campaign at The Valley for the best sprinters in the country,” she said. “Friday night validated that logic with the depth of field in the G1 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes. To see six of the nine G1 Moir Stakes runners (would have been 7 with Chain of Lightning) backing up into the $2m G1 Manikato was testimony to the program change success. “I, myself, have never been more excited about a four-horse field being run at The Valley like I was for the G2 Ladbrokes Feehan Stakes. “The thrill of having a champion mare such as Pride of Jenni and a crowd favourite like Mr Brightside going head-to-head on the eve of an AFL Grand Final was rare and privileged viewing for our audience. “A night of top-quality black-type night racing, AFL Grand Final fever, infield golf excitement and an atmosphere unbeaten – The Valley roared on Friday night.”

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