Trainer Gerald Ryan remains cautious about pursuing a Golden Slipper start with Blitzburg, despite the colt’s impressive all-the-way victory in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.
Blitzburg ($4.80), the most experienced juvenile in the field of seven, surged ahead at the top of the straight and held on to win by 1-1/4 lengths over Hillier ($20), with Peleus ($15), another runner from the Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald stable, finishing a half-length further back in third.
While Ryan acknowledges the possibility of a 2025 Golden Slipper campaign, he believes races like the Black Opal Stakes in Canberra may be a more suitable target for the colt.
“He’s not a Slipper horse. I think he is a rung below,” Ryan said. “But it is the Golden Slipper, he is only two once, so we will see how he ends up. The Black Opal might be his go. We will just pick our races with him, and if he is flying at Slipper time, we might go there.”
Ryan had identified the Canonbury Stakes (1100m) as an ideal target for Blitzburg following the colt’s debut win at Newcastle in November. After a stint in Queensland, where he placed at Eagle Farm but missed a start in the Magic Millions Classic at the Gold Coast, Blitzburg returned to Sydney in top form.
“We couldn’t run on Friday night (due to the seven-day rule) as I had treated him on the (previous) Saturday morning,” Ryan explained. “The stewards let me scratch him, and he has not missed a beat since he’s been back at home. I’ve been telling everyone for days he would run ‘huge’.”
Jockey Tyler Schiller, who partnered Blitzburg in the Canonbury Stakes, praised the colt’s performance, noting his strong work during the week. “He’s not a very big horse, so I was just hoping his work didn’t take it out of him too much,” Schiller said. “He jumped sharp today, he got to dictate. I think that was the main thing. He doesn’t really like horses getting past him, and I thought he was very aggressive. When he got challenged, he attacked the line awesome.”
Co-trainer Rob Archibald was pleased with the efforts of Hillier and Peleus, both making their debut. “We were hopeful, but it was their first start, so you are never really sure how they would go. Both ran very good races,” Archibald said.
