Golden Rose head-to-head betting tips: Menari vs. Merchant Navy

Menari vs Merchant Navy

ONE of the biggest preambles to Melbourne’s spring carnival takes place in Sydney this weekend as the best three-year-olds in the country compete in the Group One Golden Rose at Rosehill on Saturday.

There are two horses in the star-studded field that we think will be battling it out at the winner’s post – Gerald Ryan’s in-form dynamo, Menari and the unbeaten Ciaron Maher colt, Merchant Navy.

Ladbrokes.com.au is running its enhanced odds special on the Golden Rose this weekend, which means you will get over the odds compared to the other bookies on every runner in this year’s $1 million feature.

Golden Rose Betting Market

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Menari form

Menari
Menari looks a top chance to remain unbeaten this campaign in the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes this Saturday. Photo: Bradley Photos

Menari comes into this year’s Golden Rose as the short-priced favourite and rightfully so.

After a somewhat indifferent beginning to the colt’s career, trainer Gerald Ryan has got the three-year-old in cherry-ripe condition. The horse returned in the Rosebud as a $3.70 elect and won convincingly, but it was the run a month later in the Group Two Run To The Rose which generated all the hype going into Saturday’s feature.

Jumping as a $2.30 favourite, Menari jumped well from a wide barrier – which it will again need to overcome on Saturday – and settled just behind the leader before kicking clear in the latter stages to record a commanding victory.

Ordinarily a powerful win like that would draw a hefty penalty, but Menari benefits greatly from the set-weight conditions and will be one of the primary chances in a quality Golden Rose field.

Merchant Navy form

Merchant Navy will enter the Golden Rose as an unbeaten elect. (John Donegan/Racing Photos)

Ciaron Maher colt Merchant Navy comes into the Golden Rose as somewhat of an outsider in the market, but as its unblemished record would suggest the three-year-old is more than capable of producing the goods.

From the humble beginnings of Pakenham racecourse on a Thursday afternoon, it did not take Merchant Navy long to cast aside the shackles of mid-week racing to progress through the grades. On the horse’s Flemington debut in the listed ANZAC Day Stakes the colt loomed large after being slowly away and won by a length.

The win a month later in its group racing debut was the race that made punters sit up and pay attention.

Jumping as a $3.50 elect in the Group Three Mcneil Stakes at Caulfield, the colt again settled well off the speed, but Mark Zahra produced the horse at the perfect time to record a brilliant win.

There are a few question marks coming in, including Merchant Navy’s ability to negotiate the Sydney style of racing, but the horse has adapted to every challenge thrown at it so far so why doubt it now?

Menari vs. Merchant Navy betting tip

We are backing Menari here despite the wide barrier draw.

Punters may have been scared off after the horse was allocated barrier 11, but anyone who saw the Run To The Rose knows Menari possesses great gate speed and can cross quite easily. The only question is, will the field be smarter this time and push up to prevent this from transpiring?

Merchant Navy looks to be a star of the future, but how the horse will handle the Sydney track is anyone’s guess. Barrier two could also be an issue given the colt has pounced late in its last two races. It could be confronted by a wall of horses from the inside draw which will make the already onerous task all the more difficult.

Menari is even money across the board for a reason, and we recommend taking Ladbrokes.com.au’s enhanced odds ($2.30) on the elect before it shortens even further.

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