General Salute capped off a highly successful spring carnival for trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou with a hard-fought win in the Listed $1 million The Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle on Saturday.
Newcastle’s premier race became a fierce contest between General Salute and She’s An Artist, with the former carrying an extra 6kg and winning by a mere nose.
The training partnership has presented fewer than 100 runners this season, securing 13 victories, including six at stakes level, and accumulating almost $8 million in earnings. Their notable spring carnival successes include:
- Group 1 Golden Eagle – Skyhook
- Group 2 Theo Mark Stakes – Skyhook
- Group 2 Shannon Stakes – Skyhook
- Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap – General Salute
- Listed The Hunter – General Salute
- Listed The Rosebud – Chilly Girls
While Skyhook’s performances, especially its Golden Eagle triumph, were the stable’s highlight, General Salute’s Hunter win clearly held significant importance for Alexiou.
“I’d like to have another 10 horses like General Salute in the stable, I know that much, he is such a gutsy horse,” Alexiou stated. “But like the other day with Skyhook in the Golden Eagle I didn’t want to go up too early. I thought he just won but I wasn’t sold on the result. I’m glad he got his nose in front on the line.”
General Salute ($10) narrowly defeated She’s An Artist ($7) by a nose in a thrilling Hunter race, with the favourite, Sweynesday ($6), finishing a length-and-a-half behind in third place.
Coal Crusher, the winner of The Hunter in 2023 and 2025, was retired following its performance at the rear of the field.
The victory marked General Salute’s sixth from 22 starts, boosting his career earnings to over $1.6 million. However, he had to battle intensely for his Hunter triumph.
“I was happy where he was in the run but I noticed from about the 600m he was being hard ridden which is unusual for him but it was an indication of how quickly they were going up front,” Alexiou explained. “Then he made his run with She’s An Artist and to that horse’s credit, she was not going away. I was a bit worried she might get the better of him late as he was giving away quite a bit of weight (6kg) to the second horse but like he often does, he finds a way. He’s the ultimate professional because he gives everything he’s got in his races. There was a time when he went about 18 months without a win but he bumped into some really good horses. Although it is nice to run placings in those big races, nothing beats winning and he really deserved this win.”
For leading jockey Tim Clark, a self-proclaimed Newcastle Knights enthusiast, General Salute’s win was his inaugural victory in The Hunter.
Clark acknowledged that General Salute had to “fight hard” to overcome She’s An Artist.
“He’s so tough and very honest,” Clark commented on General Salute. “The tempo was quite quick but he was relaxed until he came off the bridle in the middle stages. But he had saved his energy and was able to show that good turn of foot late.”
Clark admitted to urging General Salute forward earlier than usual due to the 59kg handicap.
“I was mindful of the big weight and wanted to get him going a bit earlier so he could get through his gears,” Clark said. “To the second horse’s credit it kept coming with him and we couldn’t shake him off. He’s a horse I really enjoy riding and I’m glad he got his head down on the line. It was nice to get a big win on him.”
Alexiou indicated that General Salute’s spring campaign, and that of his stable, is not concluded with The Hunter.
“We will look at the Supernova at Pakenham in about a month’s time,” Alexiou revealed. “He’s a horse that takes a little maintenance so the month between runs suits him. We’ve had a really good spring, I think we have done a great job with the ‘cattle’ we have got, placed them well and they have all won good races.”
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