Jimmysstar sharpens up for Manikato

Triple Group One winner Jimmysstar pleased trainer Ciaron Maher with a sharp Cranbourne jumpout on Monday as he prepares to drop back in distance for the Gr.1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.

The New Zealand-bred sprinter was ridden by Ethan Brown in the 800m hit-out and impressed in accounting for a heat that included highly-regarded stablemate The Next Episode.

It was Jimmysstar’s first serious piece of work since finishing ninth in the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 29, where he was beaten five lengths by Beiwacht.

Maher remains puzzled by the below-par performance, particularly after Jimmysstar had impressed in his work leading into his first-up assignment.

“His two trials before he ran in the Memsie were very sharp. He certainly has come on looks-wise,” Maher told Racing.com.

“The run… I’m still scratching my head over that race, whether it was the horse (Angel Capital) laying in on him, or what it was.”

Maher added blinkers to Jimmysstar’s gear for Monday’s jumpout and received positive feedback from Brown, with the equipment now under consideration for the Manikato.

“We popped some blinkers on him today, just to see. Browny said it was no negative, so, going back to the 1200 metres of the Manikato, it might be a good opportunity to pop them on.”

Jimmysstar has established himself among Australia’s leading sprinters over the past two seasons, with his three victories at the elite level including the Gr.1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick.

The son of Per Incanto has won 11 of his 28 starts and earned more than A$8.8 million in prizemoney.