Gerald Ryan’s impressive The Rosebud winner and early Golden Rose favourite Menari is considered the one to beat again this weekend at Rosehill Gardens heading The Run To The Rose 2017 field and odds. 

Menari leads The Run To The Rose betting. Photo: Steve Hart

The feature race on the Sydney card on Saturday, this season’s Group 2 $200,000 The Run To The Rose (1200m) is set to run as Rosehill Race 7 at 3:50pm (AEST). 

The set weights plus penalties sprint is the key final lead-up for three-year-olds heading towards the Group 1 $1 million Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) back at the track in a fortnight’s time.  

The past five Golden Rose Stakes winners came out of The Run To The Rose, with the last three completing the double that the bookies are tipping Snitzel colt Menari to do this Sydney Spring Racing Carnival. 

The up-and-comer enjoyed his second career win first-up at Rosehill on August 12 with success in the Listed The Rosebud (1100m) lumping a hefty 60.5kg to victory so will appreciate coming back to 56kg.  

He now chases his maiden success over further than that jumping from the outside barrier, 11 of 11, in The Run To The Rose field with jockey Joshua Parr retaining the ride.  

The latest Run To The Rose odds at Ladbrokes.com.au have Menari as the firming $2.40 favourite and all-in Golden Rose Stakes betting for the upcoming Group 1 list him as the $5.50 top elect. 

The second favourite in both markets is then the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Pariah who is at $6.50 for the big one and $3.30 this weekend.  

Redoute’s Choice colt Pariah actually has winning form over Menari having defeated him when the pair ran one-two at Rosehill back on January 28 in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes (1100m). 

Pariah went to Melbourne after that with his bid down south highlighted by a second to Catchy in the Group 1 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) before his 11th in the Golden Slipper Stakes back home in the wet on March 18.  

He showed he was back to his best saluting for the punters first-up at Rosehill on August 26 however with an impressive victory in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) that he has trained on well from since.  

Only one other runner sits under double-figures in The Run To The Rose odds with Godolphin’s lightly-raced Kementari paying $4.80 to upset the dominant duo. 

Kerrin McEvoy rides the James Cummings-trained Lonhro colt from barrier seven on the weekend, Kementari making his black-type debut on the back of two nice August trials at Randwick.  

There has also been a tickle of early money in the markets for Siege Of Quebec ($13 into $11), a progressive Fastnet Rock colt prepared by Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott.  

A winner of his opening two career starts, including a nice 1400m Rosehill win over the Golden Rose track and distance during the winter, Siege Of Quebec returned to racing running second to Menari in The Rosebud.  

He gets the chance to turn the tables and go one better on the weekend with Tim Clark retaining the ride from barrier five.  

The value meanwhile could lie in a longer priced shot with genuine claims such as the Hawkes Racing-trained San Domenico Stakes runner-up Chauffeur ($13) or Team Snowden’s Group 1 winner Invader ($16). 

See below for the full The Run To The Rose 2017 field, barriers, jockeys and latest Fixed Win markets open online now through Ladbrokes.com.au. 

2017 The Run To The Rose Field, Barriers & Odds