Manikato Stakes A big weekend of Group 1 racing at Moonee Valley gets underway on Friday night, with the Manikato Stakes a tasty appetiser ahead of Saturdays WS Cox Plate.As has become customary in elite sprints such as this, the worlds top-rated sprinter, Chautauqua, holds the key.Chautauquas best is better than anything any of his 10 rivals can offer, and the conditions of the Manikato -- weight-for-age, 1200 metres -- are in the greys favour.But his hold-up style of racing means luck in running can become a factor; oftentimes the geldings freakish ability compensates, but from barrier No. 1 on Friday night, in a race which looks to be lacking pace, Chautauqua should be taken on at the cramped quote.Ageing warrior Buffering looks to get an uncontested lead from stall No. 2 and cant be discounted at an each-way price, while Capitalist - Peter Snowden says he will be scratched if the ground is slow or heavy given the forecast for heavy rain -- will take up a position and get every chance. Its still hard to say if the Golden Slipper winner has come back the force of old, but he wasnt far off Astern last start and these sprinting three-year-olds are a very good bunch. In what could turn out to be a messy race, good fortune, and room to move in the short Valley straight, might be the telling factors.Newmarket Handicap winner The Quarterback, drawn 11 of 11, will have clear running and be afforded every chance to show his devastating turn of foot. His last run at Moonee Valley, in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes, was an astonishing effort, beaten just over a length after missing the start hopelessly. And judged on his first-up win in the Group 2 Gilgai at Flemington, the gelding has returned to racing in fine order.The Quarterback isnt the best horse in the Manikato Stakes, but he might get the best run and is worth specking at good odds.Recommended bet: The Quarterback each-way @ $13 with UBET.W.S. Cox PlateWell, isnt this exciting? The Melbourne Cup might be Australias most famous race, but the pinnacle of the spring, even year, is the Cox Plate, a weight-for-age championship event, over a championship distance, in which no runner has anywhere to hide.It always brings the best Australian and New Zealand middle-distance horses together, plus some good ones from overseas, but this year has added bite courtesy of what the betting perceives to be a two-horse war between Winx and Hartnell.Historians and racing lovers alike would love nothing more than a repeat of the 1986 edition, in which Bonecrusher edged Our Waverley Star after a titanic tussle in the race of the century.The two favourites bring clearly the best form into the race, the champion mare having won 12 straight (seven at the elite level) and Hartnell counting a verdict over Caulfield Cup heroine Jameka among his three deeply impressive triumphs this preparation.What is notable about this Cox Plate is the lack of pace on paper; French horse Vadamos will likely lead with the filly Yankee Rose handy from gate No. 1 and Hartnell somewhere near the speed. Winx wont get the end-to-end gallop she had, and devoured, this time last year, so that factor raises a cautionary note about the champions chances. But she has had to overcome adversity several times to keep her winning run going and should be trusted to do so again. At any rate, Winx should get a charmed enough run in midfield from barrier No. 3.Hartnell, for his part, can chase Winx home, and in doing so further enhance his claims for the Melbourne Cup.Of the rest, place chances are given to Black Heart Bart, Yankee Rose, Happy Clapper and Hauraki, and exotics may be the smartest way to go.Recommended bet: Winx to beat Hartnell, but weave the above-mentioned quartet into wider multiples in the UBET market.Best Bet Moonee Valley (Sat) Race 8, No.1 Gallante @ $3.90 with UBETStrikes a very winnable edition of the Moonee Valley Cup -- and arrives here with some of the best formlines on offer this spring.Gallante resumed after his Sydney Cup win with an excellent second to subsequent Caulfield Cup heroine Jameka, who in between times chased home Cox Plate fancy Hartnell in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes.Lloyd Williamss stayer gave Jameka 3kg in that defeat, over an unsuitable journey of 2000 metres. Gallante steps up 500m on Saturday and has had a month off to recover from his first-up exertions -- two factors that should see him close to his best on Saturday.Many of Gallantes rivals on Saturday appear to be struggling for form -- indeed he could be given most to do by Godolphin raider Second Wave -- and this looks an excellent springboard towards the Melbourne Cup. Should win.Over the OddsMoonee Valley (Fri) Race 6, No.3 Rageese @ $2.30 with UBETHas ran well without much luck in two runs since a spell, behind the likes of Hellbent and Chetwood, and finds a race third-up lacking severely in depth.Rageese is thrown in at the weights, on his old form, while its likely the pace of the race will be strong enough to string the field out -- meaning he should get galloping room from his inside draw.Looks set to peak on Friday night and will be awfully hard to beat. A deserved favourite and could start odds-on.Moonee Valley (Fri) Race 5, No.8 Brockhoff @ $4.60 with UBETThis 955m scamper sets up very well for Brockhoff, who is two from three first-up and is well weighted for a horse with form in Group company last preparation.Will sit off them from barrier No. 8 and have room to move off the bend when its time to strike. Wont mind any of the rain thats forecast to hit Melbourne on Friday, either. Looks a good bet.Under the OddsMoonee Valley (Sat) Race 7, No.1 The United States @ $3.40 with UBETAlmost certainly the best horse in the race but The United States comes here on the back of a stuttered preparation, second-up and with seven weeks between runs.This time last year he was on the Melbourne Cup trail; on Saturday the chestnut finds himself in a weight-for-age contest over a mile.His connections must be respected, and The United States might get home on talent alone, but there are question marks and he cant be entertained at the price.Lay of the DayRandwick Race 4, No.7 Sir Plush @ $2.90 with UBETA good winner first-up but Sir Plush has found a harder race on Saturday. Will likely get back from his inside draw, and that may not be the favoured part of the track if the forecast rain arrives. In any case, Bjorn Bakers charge is unplaced from three starts on going worse than good and looks worth opposing at the ungenerous quote.Multi of the WeekendMoonee Valley (Fri) Race 1, No.4 Showpero - WIN @ $2.90Moonee Valley (Fri) Race 5, No.8 Brockhoff - PLACE @ $1.76Moonee Valley (Fri) Race 6, No.3 Rageese - WIN @ $2.30Moonee Valley (Sat) Race 7, No.8 Ulmann - PLACE @ $2.40Moonee Valley (Sat) Race 8, No.1 Gallante - WIN @ $3.90Multi price: $109.88 with UBET Erick Aybar Jersey .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open. Minnesota Twins Jerseys . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. http://www.twinsrookiestore.com/Twins-Robbie-Grossman-Kids-Jersey/ .com) - Following a late-game loss to the reigning NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors will look to sustain their recent high-level play as they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers. Jason Castro Jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Ervin Santana Jersey .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night.Leeds injury woes, great wins for Hull FC, Salford and Widnes plus Lizzie Jones new fund make this weeks Set of Six. Leeds injury problemsJust two games into the new season and Leeds are in deep trouble with their strength in depth being sorely tested. After being dismantled by Widnes, they now have to prepare for their World Club Challenge battle against North Queensland shorn of their front-line players. Tom Briscoe, Ashton Golding and Carl Ablett are all in doubt for Sundays clash, live on Sky Sports 2, as they join Danny McGuire, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Stevie Ward and Beau Falloon on the injury list.Jamie Jones is close but it would be silly to rush him back, said Leeds coach Brian McDermott.We will have a look at Beau Falloon but he was going to be in a boot for another 10 days at least so if we do play him it would be a risk. And Stevie Ward is nowhere near.World Club WoesWill it be 3-0 to the NRL teams for the second year in succession? Apart from Leeds and their walking wounded, St Helens were torn apart by Salford ahead of Fridays clash with Sydney Roosters. Saints coach Keiron Cunningham is expecting a response and said that Fridays loss to the Red Devils was not acceptable:Weve got to regroup and get back to the drawing board, he said. Well respond next week. The disappointing thing as coach is I thought I had got some consistency into the place.Rugby league is about energy battles and, if you lose the energy battle, you dig yourself into a hole. You can smell an air of complacency about the place just before the game. I spoke to my staff about it, I was a little bit worried about it but, once theyre ready to cross the line, its a little late.Wigan are the other Super League team and they face Brisbane on Saturday; they may be winning at the moment but coach Shaun Wane knows they need to improve.He said: Its a decent start for us but we understand we need to improve for next week. We played ugly and won.Some of our skill was poor. They controlled the ball and they were allowed to do that, which is disappointing. We had a spell when our completions were about 50 per cent which is not us.Hull FCs flying start Highlights from the match between Catalans Dragons and Hull FC Hull FC have certainly started their 2016 campaign with a bang as they made it two wins from two with an impressive 38-10 win over Catalans Dragons in Perpignan. Some of our Sky Sports pundits have been bigging them up this season and they certainly look to be delivering. As for Catalans, well there is big pressure on them in the south of France. Word from inside the camp is that they had a fractured pre-season with players arriving in dribs and drabs and they have been unable to get some real cohesion going. They will need to get that sorted quickly or it is going to be a long and disappointing season.Salford and Widnes shine All the action from the Super League clash between Salford and St Helens The one year Phil Clarke doesnt tip them for glory, Salford actually look like a useful side! They took Saints to the cleaners on Thursday night much to the delight of owner Dr Marwan Koukash: Ive been waiting three years for a performance like that. I am absolutely delighted. We have a very young side - probably the youngest in Super League and we will only get better over time.Widnes coach Denis Betts was also delighted as he watched his side romp to a 56-12 win over defending Champions Leeds.ddddddddddddIts hard not to be so pleased and happy with the performance, said Betts. Highlights of Widnes win over Leeds in the Super League Were two games in so we dont want to get carried away but we came into the game with real confidence of winning and to restrict Leeds to 12 points is a real bonus.Wood defends Bennett appointmentNew England coach Wayne Bennett arrives in England this week as his appointment comes under fire from the likes of St Helens coach Cunningham and Castleford head coach Daryl Powell, who both believe that the job should have been awarded to Leeds boss Brian McDermott.Bennett is here with the Brisbane Broncos who take on Wigan at the DW Stadium on Saturday night in the 2016 World Club series and he isnt likely to step foot in the country again until the Four Nations. However, Rugby Football League chief executive Nigel Wood firmly believes the RFL made the correct appointment, Wayne Bennetts appointment has been defended by the RFL We concluded that Englands chances of success would be enhanced if we asked Wayne to take the role, he said.Wayne is the pre-eminent coach of the modern, possibly any, era. He has a proven track record at club and representative level and is a sincere internationalist.The current group of players is an exciting proposition and they deserve the best in class coaching support to maximise the opportunity to succeed on behalf of the country.We do, however, recognise that the coaching support group should ideally be populated by coaches from the Super League and this is what we will be seeking to achieve with the future appointments. Ultimately it is of course Waynes call as you would expect.Danny Jones Defibrillator Fund launched Danny Jones widow, Lizzie Jones, has launched a fund to raise money towards providing clubs at all levels of the game with a defibrillator at matches Danny Jones widow, Lizzie, has launched a fund to raise money towards providing clubs at all levels of the game with a defibrillator at matches.Danny was a Keighley Cougars and Wales international half-back who collapsed and died from an undiagnosed heart condition while playing against London Skolars in May 2015.Lizzie successfully campaigned for cardiac screening to become mandatory at every Kingstone Press Championship and League 1 club, as it already is in the Super League.She has now joined forces with the RFL Benevolent Fund to raise money to create a fund that will provide assistance to hundreds of community clubs and junior teams across the country to purchase a defibrillator.The campaign has set a fund-raising target of £50,000: to make a donation please visit www.rflbenevolentfund.co.ukGot a view on how the World Club Challenge will go? Tell us what you think by giving us your comments below or alternatively, why no Tweet us @SkySportsRL Also See: Leeds facing injury crisis WATCH: Saints loss analysed Hull FC hand Dragons a drubbing Follow @SkySportsRL ' ' '