Chautauqua favourite for return

The world’s top-ranked sprinter Chautauqua is favourite to make a winning return in the Group I Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley.

Chautauqua is at $2.25 in the early market for Friday night’s 1000m weight-for-age sprint which has attracted 10 nominations including five Group I winners.

Blue Diamond Stakes-winning colt Extreme Choice, who galloped at Moonee Valley on Monday, is at $4.40 as he takes on older sprinters in his first start as a 3-year-old.

Lucky Hussler, the 2015 Group I William Reid Stakes winner at Moonee Valley, is on the third line at $6.50 ahead of three-time Moir Stakes winner Buffering who will line up in the race for a fifth time.

The Robert Heathcote-trained Buffering won in 2012, 2014 and 2015 and ran second to Samaready in 2013. New Zealand galloper Manhattan Street trained by Lisa Latta and ridden by Jonathan Riddell, is favourite for another of Friday night’s features.

He heads the Stutt Stakes market at $4.60 on Australian debut.

Former Kiwi horses Manolo Blahniq and El Sicario are down to clash at the Sydney meeting in a 3-year-old 1200m race while Cauthen will also run in a 1200m event.