Fitter General Salute tipped by Clark for Winter Stakes triumph

General Salute is showing some of the most compelling form lines of any horse contesting Rosehill this Saturday, and jockey Tim Clark is confident the gelding simply needs to reproduce those efforts to claim the day's main sprint event.

The gelding previously finished second to the esteemed mare Autumn Glow in the Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) last year. He subsequently achieved consecutive placings behind Group 1 contenders Headley Grange and Transatlantic in the Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) and the Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m).

"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 remarked.

Punters might harbour reservations after General Salute faded to a midfield position in the Civic Stakes (1400m) at his most recent start. This followed a frustrating second behind the swift Wanaruah in the Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m) when first-up.

However, Clark believes the horse had legitimate excuses and forecasts a significant improvement 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 carries a 3-1/2 kilo weight swing in his favour over Midnight Dynamite. With the benefit of a recent 1400m race, Clark anticipates his charge will be much more adequately prepared for the anticipated fast pace, driven by Whinchat and Cool Jakey, who were the leading pair in transit last time out.

"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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