Peter Snowden and the Darley team strengthened their grip on the first Group One race of the season when exciting colt Denman won the Run To The Rose in a dominant performance against his fellow three-year-olds.The Group Three race over 1300m at Rosehill on Saturday was a vital lead-up to the $1 million Golden Rose (1400m) at the same track in two weeks.Most of his major rivals all contested the Run To The Rose except Golden Slipper winner Phelan Ready who had a luckless run when third in the we

Peter Snowden and the Darley team strengthened their grip on the first Group One race of the season when exciting colt Denman won the Run To The Rose in a dominant performance against his fellow three-year-olds.

The Group Three race over 1300m at Rosehill on Saturday was a vital lead-up to the $1 million Golden Rose (1400m) at the same track in two weeks.

Most of his major rivals all contested the Run To The Rose except Golden Slipper winner Phelan Ready who had a luckless run when third in the weight-for-age Premiere Stakes earlier on the program.

All Denman's previous runs had been in Victoria where he notched three wins from four starts but he had no trouble running in the opposite direction.

"He is a lovely horse with a lot of tactical speed," Snowden said.

"He has really matured over the past few months.

"He went to Melbourne early and was one of the few horses we had in the two-year-old races and has really come along.

"After his first gallop, my (foreman) son Paul rang and said `We've got one here'".

"I think he is special."

Denman is a son of champion racehorse Lonhro who is now part of Sheikh Mohammed's breeding operation.

His Melbourne form earned him topweight of 58kg which did not deter punters who sent him out the $3.70 favourite.

Kerrin McEvoy was forced to have him handy early from barrier eight of 13 and had him ready to pounce when the leaders were found wanting.

Denman strode to the front with More Than Great ($7) his only challenger but he weakened in the run to the line to finish 1-1/4 lengths in arrears.

Another Melbourne horse Bombay Sling ($26) held his ground for third another 1-3/4 lengths away with some of the more fancied runners unable to make up any ground.

Among them was Hus Der Lieften ($5.50) who finished sixth, 4-1/2 lengths from the winner after being unable to improve his position in the straight.

"He was disappointing on face value," trainer Gerald Ryan said of Hus Der Lieften.

"He got a bit crowded but that's not an excuse.

"I thought he would run on better than he did."

The meeting was the first run on a good track at Rosehill since March 28 with the form of most runners restricted to wet tracks.

More Than Great's trainer David Payne said the colt and filly Magic Model who finished 10th of the 13 runners would head to the Golden Rose.

"The way the race was run she had no chance in a sit and sprint," Payne said.

"We were happy with More Than Great and will press on and hope the result is different next time."