General Salute set for Winter Challenge under favourable wet conditions
The arrival of overnight rain has alleviated Sterling Alexiou's primary concern regarding General Salute's prospects in the final black-type race of the Sydney season, following his recent victory in the Winter Stakes.
All four of the gelding's previous wins have been recorded on rain-affected tracks. Earlier in the week, with Rosehill rated a soft 5, Alexiou had expressed reservations about the surface being sufficiently forgiving for General Salute.
However, following substantial rainfall on Thursday night, the track was officially designated a heavy 9 on Friday, thereby dispelling Alexiou's apprehensions.
"Possibly back to drier ground on Saturday would have been the only negative I could see," Alexiou remarked. "A lot of his best form is on soft tracks."
General Salute's win in the Winter Stakes (1400m) concluded a 15-month spell without a victory, during which he recorded six placings in seven starts, including a second to Autumn Glow in the previous year's Theo Marks Stakes (1300m).
In fact, General Salute has finished in the top three in 12 of his 18 career outings. A victory in Saturday's Listed Winter Challenge (1500m) would see his career earnings climb to just under $1 million.
"It was good to see him bounce back, and bounce back into the winner's stall," Alexiou noted. "He's held his own in terms of what he's shown us at home since that win. It's a nice start from the 1500 so it should give Nash (Rawiller) options from a middle-draw in a big field.
"If he can get a good spot, he'll run his usual honest race and be a good winning chance."
A strong showing would not only be an ideal way for General Salute to cap off a successful winter but could also open doors to a potential Group 1 campaign.
With a proven record up to 1400m, he was narrowly beaten by Transatlantic on his only other attempt beyond that distance. If he demonstrates stamina over 1500m on Saturday, a start in the Epsom Handicap (1600m) will be considered.
"The idea of running him at 1500 is to give us a platform to see if he's going to run a strong mile," Alexiou stated. "If we think he might, he could be a lightweight Epsom chance."
Explore the online bookmakers for your bets on the Winter Challenge.
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