A quality field in Saturday’s $200,000 ATC Run to the Rose 1200m G2 unveiled a genuine star as Corumbene Stud’s magnificent colt Menari led home a Snitzel-Redoute’s Choice-Snitzel trifecta.
The pace was hot from the start as Perast took up the lead from Menari with Pariah settling in third. Perast kept going gamely into the straight, but Menari took control in the final 250 metres to win by 1.5 lengths in 1:08.59 from the gritty Pariah, with Perast the same margin away in third.
Menari’s jockey Josh Parr said, “Look at the size of the horse. It is just phenomenal to ride an animal like this. His turn of foot is second to none.”
Trainer Gerald Ryan’s suggestion a month ago that Menari was an Everest prospect now looks prescient, but the $1 million Golden Rose G1 on 23 September is the obvious interim target.
After Saturday’s race Ryan said, “I was lucky enough to have a horse like Snitzel who I thought was a very good horse, then I had Snitzerland, then along came Rubick, who you never saw the best of, but this horse, what he showed us in the Autumn before he raced I thought this is a fair dinkum genuine horse.
“The way he worked last Friday morning, I reckon there’s only been two other horses I’ve clocked sectionals as quick as him and that’s been Chautauqua and All Too Hard when they were flying. He burnt the track last Friday.”
Pariah’s jockey Blake Shinn welcomes a Golden Rose re-match with Menari, saying, “He ran really well, had a lovely run behind the winner. Travelled beautifully, just maybe the weight swing, Menari had 1kg difference, in saying that full credit to the winner he was too good on the day, but level weights at 1400 metres in the Golden Rose, it’s going to be an exciting race.”
Menari is raced by George Altomonte’s Corumbene Stud which bred him from Isurava (by General Nediym), a stakes-winning juvenile and sister to Group 2 winner Ichihara, from the family of champion stayer Tie The Knot.
Mr Altomonte has also placed Menari’s 2YO full sister Sweet Ava with Gerald Ryan, and Isurava is due to produce a Not A Single Doubt foal this Spring.
After Saturday’s Group 2 successes by Russian Revolution and Menari, Snitzel’s stakes record in the first 40 days of this season stands at 8 winners of nine Group and Listed Races.
– Arrowfield Stud
