The Gerald Ryan trained Menari has been installed as the short priced favourite despite drawing a wide barrier in the Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Menari, above, is the short priced favourite for the Golden Rose at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.
Menari drew barrier eleven in the final fourteen horse Golden Rose field but that didn’t stop the bookies at Ladbrokes.com.au putting him up as the $2 favourite.
The Snitzel colt has been brilliant at his two runs back this campaign in the lead up to the Golden Rose with a first up win in the Listed $150,000 Smithfield RSL Club Rosebud (1100m) at Rosehill on August 12 followed by a dominant win in Group 2 $200,000 The Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill on September 9.
Ryan is happy with the way Menari has progressed since his last start win and the colt worked strongly on Monday morning with Golden Rose jockey Josh Parr in the saddle.
“Josh Parr came out and rode him trackwork this morning (Monday),” Ryan told AAP.
“The horse is terrific and Josh thinks the same.
“He has done everything right since his last win.”
The Peter and Paul Snowden trained Pariah chased home Menari in The Run To The Rose and has to play second fiddle again in the Golden Rose market order at $6.50.
Pariah also had no favours at the barrier draw and will jump from barrier twelve with Blake Shinn in the saddle again.
The undefeated Melbourne cot Merchant Navy is next in the betting at $8.50 and looks like getting a sweet run from barrier two for Mark Zahra.
The Ciaron Maher trained Merchant Navy is the winner of all his four race starts with Zahra is in the saddle on three occasions, including his last start win in the Group 3 $150,000 H.D.F McNeil Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on September 2.
On the fourth line of betting at $11 is the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Gold Standard who is certain to go forward from barrier ten with Tommy Berry flying in from Hong Kong to take the ride.
Gold Standard has risen up through the grades very quickly and after winning his maiden at Canterbury on August 9 ran second to Dracarys in the Group 3 $150,000 Up and Coming Stakes (1300m) at Randwick on August 19 and then went on to win the Group 2 $200,000 Kari Stan Fox Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill three weeks later.
