News

Huge bid for Manawanui rejected

20th Dec 2011

The Daily Telegraph - Ray Thomas - Tuesday, 20 December 2011

MANAWANUI is becoming the horse money can't buy.

Trainer Ron Leemon has revealed Manawanui's owners have just rejected a massive $2 million-plus offer to sell their star three-year-old. It is the latest in a series of big offers for the gelding who cost just $45,000 as a yearling.

Leemon told a packed audience at an Australian Turf Club media luncheon yesterday that a local bloodstock agent acting on behalf of a European client made a $2 million-plus bid to buy Manawanui in the last week.

"I don't think we will ever sell him - we are having too much fun," Leemon said.

Manawanui is the type of horse every trainer and owner dreams of racing.

"Good horses like Manawanui are not easy to find."

Manawanui has already won six of his nine starts, including the Group 1 Golden Rose, earning more than $1.2 million prizemoney.

Leemon said Manawanui was back in light work and being prepared for the Group 1 Doncaster Mile at Randwick next April.

"We won't be extending him beyond 1600m in the autumn," said Leemon, virtually ruling out any thought of the gelding starting in the AJC Australian Derby.

"I only want to give Manawanui a light autumn, five runs at the most, then spell him and get ready for the Cox Plate in the spring."

One of Manawanui's likely Doncaster Mile opponents will be Secret Admirer. Trainer Grahame Begg revealed Secret Admirer returned to his Randwick stables yesterday to begin her bid to become the first mare to win the Epsom Handicap-Doncaster Mile double.

"Our focus is the Doncaster," Begg said.

"She is two from two over the Randwick 'mile', both Group 1 races (Flight Stakes, Epsom Handicap).

"It is her favourite track and distance and normally there is a bit of 'cut' in the ground in Sydney during the autumn which she loves."

Begg said his other topliner, Ilovethiscity, was likely to be kept for a sprinting program aimed at The Galaxy during the autumn.

Sydney's premier trainer Chris Waller said he was poised to welcome back multiple Group 1 winners Rangirangdoo and Metal Bender to his autumn carnival team - but is resigned to losing star import My Kingdom Of Fife."We won't see My Kingdom Of Fife race again this season," Waller said.

"But we hope to have Metal Bender and Rangirangdoo back for autumn. Rangi- rangdoo has been in work for quite a while now but we will take him along slowly and have him ready for autumn."

Waller is also expecting big things from promising three-year-olds Velrosso, Said Com and Hoylonny next autumn.

ATC chairman John Cornish and chief executive Darren Pearce addressed Liverpool City Council last night hoping to gain approval to implement the club's masterplan to redevelop Warwick Farm racecourse.