Trainer Peter Moody has flagged a possible tilt at the Caulfield Cup for weight-for-age star Manighar.

Moody has been encouraged to consider the 2400m handicap on October 20 following the release of weights for the race.

"Just on a quick study of the Caulfield Cup weights, we thought he was quite attractively weighted there, so maybe that's not totally off the table the way it looks," Moody said on Thursday.

Manighar has been given 57kg for the Caulfield Cup but Moody stressed the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 27 would be the seven-year-old's premier target.

Manighar's spring campaign begins with Saturday's Makybe Diva Stakes over 1600m, a distance he won over first-up in the autumn. However Moody has his doubts about a repeat effort.

"He probably hasn't got the residual fitness that he had in the autumn when he came off a Melbourne Cup and Sandown Classic campaign, but I'm hopeful that he'll certainly be very competitive," Moody said.

He said Manighar's best runs in the autumn - his victories in the Australian Cup, Ranvet Stakes and BMW - came at his third, fourth and fifth runs respectively.

"So I've keyed in those races to be this time around, the Caulfield Stakes, Cox Plate and then leave the door ajar for the Melbourne Cup," Moody said.

The former English horse has been totally reinvigorated under Moody, with a record of no worse than third from his past seven starts.

"I would like to think we're more familiar with one another this campaign," Moody said.

"I'm very pleased with the way he's come up. He's wintered in Queensland and he's a good deal heavier than he was last time he came in to the stable.

"Whether that's good or bad only time will tell but I feel I've got more horse to work with this preparation," he said.

Moody said Manighar's list of recent runs had "really surprised" him.

"I suppose a different routine, different regime, different training methods have obviously revitalised him a fair bit," he said.

Manighar ($3.70) was challenging last year's Caulfield Cup winner Southern Speed ($3.20) for Makybe Diva favouritism on Thursday with TAB fixed odds.

Southern Speed came within a nose of toppling Manighar in the Australian Cup but he had her measure in the Ranvet and BMW.

However, the South Australian mare has fitness on her side with an unlucky third in the Spring Stakes and a win in the Penny Edition on her home track of Morphettville in the past few weeks.

AA