General Salute is looking to maintain his unbeaten run this preparation when he lines up in the Hall Mark Stakes at Randwick, but the talented four-year-old will need to overcome a tough draw and a weight rise to do so.

Drawn the outside gate in a reduced field of 11 following two early withdrawals, General Salute also faces a five-kilo increase off his win in the Star Kingdom Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill.

Despite those hurdles, co-trainer Sterling Alexiou says the gelding is thriving and couldn’t be in better shape heading into Saturday’s Group 3.

“He is airborne this preparation,” Alexiou said.

“He hasn’t had a thing go wrong and he will run really well.

“He is up five kilos and has the widest barrier, they’re our only concerns, but we can’t fault him.”

General Salute has posted back-to-back wins to start his campaign, including a dominant finish at Kembla Grange. His only start over the Randwick 1200m was a narrow defeat when second to Mumbai Muse in the Listed Brian Crowley Stakes.

Known for his strong closing bursts, General Salute tends to settle midfield or worse, and Alexiou expects the wide expanses of Randwick to suit him perfectly.

“He jumps really well, he just doesn’t quite have that muster to go with them early over six furlongs, but I think the Randwick 1200 will suit him,” he said.

“It will give him a chance to balance up and get in a good rhythm and his last couple of starts he has peeled off some really good sectionals.

“If he keeps going the way he’s going he will be really hard to beat on Saturday.”

The Hall Mark Stakes has often proven a launching pad for Queensland’s winter riches, with Redzel winning the Doomben 10,000 after his 2017 win and Trekking following suit in the Stradbroke in 2019.