‘Menari the Ferrari’ belts them in Run To The Rose

Tom Walter - Saturday September 9

Menari's dominant victory in Saturday's Group II Run To The Rose (1200m) earned praise of the highest order from trainer Gerald Ryan and completed a Group II treble for jockey Josh Parr.

Advertisement
Menari races away with the Group II Run To The Rose. Photo: Steve Hart

Ryan, who has prepared a wealth of thoroughbred talent in his years of training, believes Menari could end up in the same company as his sire Snitzel.

"I thought I was lucky enough to have a horse like Snitzel who I thought was a very good horse," Ryan said.

"Probably the best horse I had since Snitzel was Snitzerland, then along came Rubick. Never saw the best of Rubick, but this horse in the autumn, what he showed us 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."

Standing at 16.3 hands and weighing 570kg race-fit, Menari's raw power was in full throttle when he burst to the front at the 200m mark of the Run To The Rose, leaving Peter and Paul Snowden's colt Pariah in his wake.

Caller Darren Flindell appropriately named Ryan's colt 'Menari the Ferrari' at the post as Pariah crossed the line 1-1/2 lengths behind in second. The Paul Perry-trained Perast ($101) was beaten the same margin back in third.

Parr, who had won on stablemate Deploy and the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Gold Standard earlier in the day, completed a clean sweep of the meeting's three Group II events.

Whilst he said the treble didn't quite compare to winning a Group I, the in-form rider said it was the next best thing.

"Group Is are obviously the pinnacle and extra special but three Group IIs in a day is pretty good too," Parr said.

"I drove here with my Dad and I said, I can ride three winners today and I've only got three rides. My Dad is a very quietly spoken man. He replied with, 'let's hope so', and sure enough I did it.

"I've known for some time now how good this horse is but you've got to keep a lid on things because you know what horse racing is like, anything can happen, but it's an absolute delight to sit on his back that's for sure."

Menari has tightened his grip on favouritism for the Group I Golden Rose (1400m) back at Rosehill in a fortnight, firming from $5 into $2.40 with Sportsbet.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Magic Millions Comes to Caulfield – Check Out the Sale Mail
Spots on the Gold Coast will be up for grabs at Caulfield Heath this Saturday with qualification pathways to next month’s $13.5 million Magic Millions Raceday including the $250,000 MM Victoria 2YO Classic (1100m).
Rising Northern Hemisphere Star for Ghaiyyath
As we come to the end of 2025, the stallion sitting on top of the Australian Second Season Sires table is Ghaiyyath (IRE) and one of his promising three year-olds in the Northern Hemisphere this year is Opera Ballo, a commanding winner of the Group II Al Rashidiya (1m1f) at Meydan overnight.
Weight a concern for Menari in Rosebud
Gerald Ryan’s Menari will have to break a weight-carrying record to take out Saturday’s Listed Rosebud (1100m) at Rosehill.
G3 Eulogy Shines Spotlight On Emerging NZB Filly of the Year Contenders
Undefeated filly Well Written (Written Tycoon) has dominated the early stages of the 2025-26 NZB Filly of the Year Series, but the complexion of the series might start to change with this weekend’s fifth leg.
Sires With Winners - Friday December 19
Here is the full list of 78 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
First Foal for Menari
One of the very best colts competing in the Sydney spring of 2017 when winning the Group II ATC Run to the Rose and finishing third in the Group I ATC Golden Rose, brilliant Snitzel son Menari has his first foals arriving this spring for Newgate Farm.
Menari to Stand at Newgate Farm This Spring
Newgate Farm is delighted to announce an exciting late addition to the 2018 stallion roster with freakishly talented Snitzel sprinter Menari joining the team.
Magic Winner for Wootton Bassett
The Magic Bloodstock colours made famous by the great champion Winx were in action at Canterbury on Friday night carried to victory in the opening race by promising Wootton Bassett (GB) filly Wootton Way.
Mega Maiden Bonus for Up-And-Comer Chilling Out (NZ)
A lucrative victory in Wednesday’s NZB Mega Maiden Series (1400m) at Ruakaka could be a stepping stone to bigger things for Chilling Out (NZ) (Savabeel).
Menari Out for the Spring
High class Snitzel entire Menari is out of contention for The Everest and the entire spring carnival after suffering a tendon injury.