General Salute is boasting some of the most impressive form lines of any competitor at Rosehill this Saturday, and jockey Tim Clark is confident the gelding simply needs to race to that standard to win the day’s main sprint.
The gelding finished in second place behind the notable mare Autumn Glow in last year’s Theo Marks Stakes (1300m). He followed this with two consecutive placings behind Group 1 contenders 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 commented.
Punters might be hesitant after General Salute faded to a midfield position in the Civic Stakes (1400m) last start, a performance that followed a luckless second to the speedy Wanaruah in the Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m) first-up.
However, Clark feels the horse had valid reasons for that run and is predicting a strong comeback 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 stated. “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 enjoy a 3-1/2 kilo weight swing over Midnight Dynamite. With the benefit of a 1400m run now under his belt, Clark expects his mount to be much better equipped for what is again shaping up to be a solidly run race, thanks to the presence of Whinchat and Cool Jakey, who were the leading pair in transit last start.
“The two horses who set the speed are there again, so they’re going to go quick,” Clark observed. “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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