Stick with 'Maneater'

SHE'S A MANEATER cuts back to six furlongs in this afternoon's None Such Sprint, facing basically the same cast from her Eros Trophy victory on July 28 when she made a mockery of rivals at seven furlongs, winning by five and a half lengths.

The flagship in champion trainer Wayne DaCosta's armada, 2017 Horse of the Year SHE'S A MANEATER has already beaten the best sprinters in the country, storming past SIEMPRE BUENO a half-furlong out to win May's Lotto Sprint by three lengths.

Carrying 123lb in the Lotto Sprint, she convincingly beat MONEY MAGNET, SIEMPRE BUENO and CHACE THE GREAT, all of whom return, lambs to the slaughter, against the four-year-old filly, who ranks among the most versatile runners to have ever graced Caymanas Park.

SHE's A MANEATER's winning time in the Lotto Sprint, 1:05.2, was three-fifths of a second outside SAINT CECELIA and A KING IS BORN's joint stakes record of 1:04.4.

Though she isn't your typical sprinter, at the right handicaps, with the right pace, she can do just about anything asked of her, going any distance, which was how the Lotto Sprint played out and the None Such is expected to follow suit.

DaCosta has SHE'S A MANEATER and three stablemates in the None Such, one of whom, speedy MR UNIVERSE, leaves the opposition in a conundrum.

Anthony Nunes has been trying his very best to find a way around the DaCosta armada with SIEMPRE BUENO, who overhauled MR UNIVERSE and sprinted two lengths clear a furlong out in the Lotto Sprint. However, he had no answer when SHE'S A MANEATER pounced a half-furlong out.

Though there's an eight-pound swing in SIEMPRE BUENO's favour for the rematch, the extra half-furlong swings the pendulum right back to SHE'S A MANEATER, whose finishing speed Nunes' runner lacks.

Sitting $3m behind DaCosta in their private battle atop the trainers' standings, Nunes needs a way around SHE'S A MANEATER but the door is closed in the None Such Trophy.

There is no Plan 'A' or 'B' for SIEMPRE BUENO, CHACE THE GREAT or MONEY MAGNET. MR UNIVERSE can't be allowed to run loose upfront after churning out 1:11.1 for six furlongs in the Thoroughbred Hall Of Fame Stakes.

If the speed collapses, as expected, SHE'S A MANEATER's record speaks for itself, 13 wins in 16 starts, from five and a half to 12 furlongs, possessing a crippling mid-race pace, which none of her rivals will be able to match in the stretch run.