General Salute possesses some of the strongest recent form among the runners at Rosehill this Saturday, and jockey Tim Clark believes the gelding needs only to perform to that level to clinch the day’s feature sprint.
The gelding secured second place behind the top mare Autumn Glow in last year’s Theo Marks Stakes (1300m). He followed this with two more placings behind Group 1 performers Headley Grange and Transatlantic in the Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) and the Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m), respectively.
“There are any of three or four runs in the spring which, if he replicated, he’d win the race on Saturday. Simple as that,” Clark stated.
Racegoers might be hesitant following General Salute’s midfield finish in the Civic Stakes (1400m) last start, a run that came after an unlucky second to the quick Wanaruah in the Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m) when resuming.
However, Clark suggested the horse had valid reasons for that performance and anticipates a strong return in the Listed Winter Stakes (1400m) on Saturday.
“He was going from 1100 to 1400 . . . and I ended up being a bit close to what turned out to be a really fast speed. It just gassed him a little bit late,” Clark explained. “Now he’s had that run over 1400 under his belt, he will be a lot better for it.”
“A bit of cut in the track won’t hurt, and he’s drawn one, so he’s going to have a much more economical run throughout.”
General Salute will benefit from a 3-1/2 kilo weight advantage over Midnight Dynamite. With the advantage of a 1400m run under his belt, Clark anticipates his mount will be far better prepared for what is expected to be another strongly contested race, given the presence of Whinchat and Cool Jakey, who finished first and second in their last outing.
“The two horses who set the speed are there again, so they’re going to go quick,” Clark commented. “But now he’s had that run under his belt over 1400, he’s going to be better for it and able to cope with that type of pressure. He did race a little bit keenly the other day, but it’s a far better set-up for him on Saturday.”
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