Menari and Trapeze Artist have helped their sire Snitzel to a record number of two-year-old winners this season and have stepped up preparations for their three-year-old season in Rosehill barrier trials.
The two are both trained by Gerald Ryan and finished fourth and sixth respectively in the Golden Slipper, making them the first colts home in the race dominated by fillies.
Snitzel has sired 32 individual juvenile winners this season, passing Without Fear’s previous mark of 30 set by Without Fear in 1975/76.
Ryan trained Snitzel and has trained many of his progeny with Menari winning at Randwick in January and Trapeze Artist winning his maiden the following month before claiming the Black Opal Stakes.
The two ran in separate 900m-trials on Tuesday with Trapeze Artist a close second and Menari third in his heat.
“Menari is likely to go to the Rosebud and the San Domenico Stakes before we look at the Golden Rose,” Ryan said.
“I think he might be a sprinter so we’ll decide after his first couple of runs whether we step him up to the 1400 metres.
“Trapeze Artist will be on a path to the Golden Rose starting with the Up And Coming Stakes and the Run To The Rose.”
Trapeze Artist showed his ability over 1400 metres when third in the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes won by Invader from New Zealand colt Summer Passage, another son of Snitzel.
The Ryan-trained Harper’s Choice, runner-up in the Australian Derby, finished fifth in his 900m-trial on Tuesday won by stablemate Tango Rain.
“Although Harper’s Choice ran second in the Derby I’m not sure he is a genuine stayer and the Epsom Handicap could be the race for him,” Ryan said.
“It’s undecided where and when Tango Rain will race yet.”
