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By Brad Gray

Gerald Ryan has guided hundreds of two-year-olds through his system to turn three and the Rosehill-based trainer has seen everything he’d have hoped for with Menari before he resumes in the Listed Smithfield RSL Club Rosebud (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens.

“He has definitely grown and is a lot stronger again. He is not ‘colty’ and seems to be focused too,” Ryan said.

“He has always been a big horse but has started filling into himself. He is 16’2 hands high and weighs about 570-odd kilograms.”

It’s been a gradual build up for Menari, who mixed it with Sydney’s best two-year-olds over the autumn, however a string of wet tracks hampered his campaign.

“He has been in work a while, since the middle of May. We haven’t had to rush him and he has come up well,” Ryan said.

“His trackwork has been solid but he is not an over worker. You have got to keep him up to the mark. He doesn’t pull or bugger around. He is quite a straightforward horse.”

“There is a lot of hype about him so to see him back on a good track we’ll see if that hype is warranted.”

Menari will head to the $150,000 Group Three San Domenico Stakes (1100m) on August 26 after he tackles the Rosebud but after that, Ryan is keeping his options open.

“At the moment we’re just treating him like a sprinter because he is going to have two 1100m races and then we’ll play it by ear from there.”

Meanwhile, Washington Heights will be out to build on his impressive return to racing when he steps out over 1400m second up.

“His trial here on the course proper was really nice without being knocked about and he has trained on really well,” Ryan said.

“The 1400m looks ideal for him. I don’t think he is a sprinter. I’ve always thought right from a baby that he’d be a nice 1600m horse so we’ll play it as it comes.”

All of the replays, form and fields for Rosehill Gardens on Saturday