As the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival prepares for their richest race of the season, the $1 million Golden Rose (1400m), this Saturday the traditional lead-up race for the Golden Rose will take place at the scenic Rosehill Racecourse.

The $125,000 Group 3 The Run To The Rose (1300m) is considered the ideal preparatory race for the quality three-year-olds seeking glory in the Golden Rose, and this year 12 horses will contest the 2010 The Run To The Rose following the scratching of From London.

One horse has emerged as the pronounced favourite in the [sportsbet] markets, the Gai Waterhouse-trained Squamosa.

Squamosa is currently paying $2 for a win at [sportsbet], the unbeaten colt ready to defend his perfect record of two wins from two starts jumping from barrier nine on Saturday.

The second-favourite at $4.20 through [sportsbet] in The Run To The Rose is Masquerader, another unbeaten colt.

Trained by David Payne, Masquerader has also won both of his race starts including the Group 2 Todman Slipper Trial (1200m) back in March.

Drawn better than the favourite in barrier six, Masquerader could definitely claim an upset win at good odds.

Other promising three-year-olds with claims in Saturday’s showdown include Encosta De Lago filly  Sasa drawn ideally in barrier three and paying $7.50 at [sportsbet], consistent colt Testarhythm and the Peter Snowden-trained Classics.

Smart punters will be keeping an eye on the top performers in this Saturday’s The Run To The Rose before checking out the lucrative ante-post betting markets open at [sportsbet] for the Golden Rose on August 28.

The 2010 Smithfield RSL Run To The Rose is scheduled as race six at Rosehill this Saturday and is due to jump at 3:40pm.

When it comes to the exciting spring betting this year, the best thing punters can do is to kick their TAB habit.

Instead of settling for the low odds and long lines at the TAB, take five minutes to sign up at leading online bookmaker [sportsbet] and enjoy the benefits of betting online!

Offering better odds, quick and easy betting options and exclusive [racingoffers] including the Run To The Rose cash refund this weekend no one has your racing wagers covered better than [sportsbet].

2010 The Run To The Rose Final Field, Barriers & Odds

#	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Br.	Weight (kg)	Odds*
1	MASQUERADER	David Payne	Glyn Schofield	6	58	4.20
2	SASA	Tim Martin	Tye Angland	3	56	7.50
3	KUDAKULARI (NZ)	Bart Cummings	Hugh Bowman	7	55.5	10.00
4	RUN FOR LEVI	John P Thompson	Peter Robl	5	53	41.00
5	CHULA VISTA	Anthony Cummings	Tim Clark	11	53	34.00
6	PRAECIDO (NZ)	David Payne	Tommy Berry	10	53	41.00
7	SQUAMOSA	Gai Waterhouse	Blake Spriggs	9	53	2.00
8	CIRCLE OF POWER	Rod Craig	Nathan Berry)	12	53	34.00
9	TESTARHYTHM	Darren Smith	Jim Cassidy	8	53	11.00
10	CLASSICS	Peter Snowden	Blake Shinn	4	53	11.00
11	FROM LONDON SCRATCHED	John P Thompson	–	13	53	–
12	HEARTSAREFORLOVE	John P Thompson	Brenton Avdulla	1	53	10.00
13	BIG SUNDAY	Anthony Cummings	Daniel Ganderton	2	53	20.00

*Odds provided by [sportsbet] and subject to change.