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The bookies and punters are having a hard time splitting the top two in betting on the 2025 The Invitation race with Miss Roumbini and Manaal battling for favouritism for the $2 million Royal Randwick feature on Saturday.

Now in its fifth edition, the Group 2 The Invitation has fast become a spring highlight, pitting elite female gallopers from across Australia and New Zealand in a tactical 1400m clash.

Currently sitting top of The Invitation odds at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $4 and firming is the consistent Miss Roumbini for Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr.

The stable may have lost their Ladbrokes Cox Plate contender Globe who was ruled out of Saturday’s $6 million feature at The Valley on vet’s advice, but they remain in with a livewire hope further north in one of the key support acts on Sydney’s Spring Champion Stakes Day card.

A five-year-old daughter of Zoustar, Miss Roumbini is out to go one better than her back-to-back seconds in the lead up.

Fresh the Magic Millions Fillies & Classic winner from the summer was three-quarters of a length off Magic Time in the Group 3 Cockram Stakes before finishing second by the same margin behind Sepals in Caulfield’s Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stake at her latest.

The post-race comments from jockey Beau Merten were very encouraging suggesting she can improve coming back against her own kind from a more favourable alley on Saturday despite going up from 52kg to 57kg.

“Fantastic run,” Mertens said.

“She was just a little bit slow away, from a wide draw we had to go back from then on in even though we were far away we had a lovely run in transit and she showed an electric turn of foot, just unfortunately we were a bit far off Sepals and she put her best foot forward and ran a super race.”

Mertens is replaced in the saddle by the flying Adam Hyeronimus which is a big plus, and she maps better for a more on speed run this weekend looking to frank the form out of Victoria.

The danger occupying the second line of The Invitation betting following closely at $4.40 is Manaal chasing a hat-trick.

Michael Freedman‘s four-year-old Tassort mare has been in excellent form this prep winning back-to-back Group 2 Rosehill races having taken out the Sheraco Stakes – Golden Pendant double.

A lively mare in career-best form, she showcased her grit with a tough win in the Golden Pendant at carrying 58kg to victory.

Her Randwick strike-rate is very impressive (9:4-0-2), she boasts a 50% win rate over the distance from four starts and she draws ideally again with Tommy Berry sticking with for another bold performance.

Two other runners are also at single figures for the win with the Team Hawkes trained Gangsta Granny ($5.50) and Group 1 winner Stefi Magnetica ($7) who gives the weight away carrying 59.5kg.

Working her way nicely through the grades this campaign, Written Tycoon four-year-old Gangsta Granny brings in some strong form lines including a first-up second to the still undefeated subsequent Epsom Handicap champ Autumn Glow in the Group 3 Toy Show on Heavy going.

She was third as the beaten favourite next start in the Sheraco and then bounced back to claim the Group 3 The Nivison (1200m) at Rosehill on October 11.

While she’s in terrific form, she does have a wide barrier 11 to overcome as she looks to stretch her brilliance up over 1400m for the first time.

Bjorn Baker‘s five-year-old All Too Hard mare Stefi Magnetic, winner of the Doncaster Mile back in April, also comes via the Sheraco when fourth with 59kg.

She carries topweight again and is winless second-up but is proven up to a mile so the 1400m looks ideal at this stage of her campaign and she boasts the class edge on a few of these.

Of the longer priced contenders those shaping up as genuine hopes at longer odds include Baker’s other runner Monte Supreme ($10) who won three on the trot in easier company before her The Nivison second, Gerringong ($12) for Waterhouse & Bott who is out to atone for her ninth in the Silver Eagle when slow away, and Chris Waller‘s Golden Pendant third placegetter Firestorm ($14).

The 2025 The Invitation is set to run as Randwick Race 9 at 5:15pm (AEDT) as the penultimate event on the card.

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