General Salute overcomes minor setback

By Glenn Davis

A forced decision to lower the bar with emerging Sydney sprinter General Salute could pay dividends at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The training partnership of Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou had hopes of a Group 1 Stradbroke campaign with General Salute before a minor foot injury forced a change of plans.

Instead of the Stradbroke Handicap, General Salute will make his Queensland debut in the Group 3 W.J. Healy Stakes over 1200 metres at Eagle Farm.

General Salute has won his past two Sydney starts but hasn’t raced since his barn storming finish to claim the Group 3 Star Kingdom Stakes at Rosehill on April 1.

The son of Russian Revolution was then expected to run two weeks later but was scratched from the Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes at Randwick which was won by the Joseph Pride-trained Mazu for the second time in successive years.

“He struck a front joint coming off the track the day before the Hall Mark, so we had to back-off with him,” co-trainer Ryan said. 

“We were hoping to get him into the Stradbroke, but he didn’t have enough prizemoney, so he had to win the Hall Mark and probably one other to qualify.

“In the end we gave up the Stradbroke plan and aimed for the Healy Stakes.”

Ryan has booked Tim Clark to partner the four-year-old whose career has been restricted to 10 starts for three wins and two placings.

“He’s always shown good ability, but he’s had a foot problem most of his life,” Ryan said.

“He had surgery on it when he was a foal which is why he never went through a sale.

“We’ve always had a lot of trouble with his feet.

“He had a quarter crack as a younger horse, so we had it cut out and gave him a long time off to recover.”

Ryan believes General Salute is the best he’s ever been and expects a strong performance in the Healy Stakes.

“I’ve never won this race and we’ve got him right again so he should be hard to beat,” Ryan said.

“He ran in a Golden Rose as a two-year-old and although he ran last, he wasn’t beaten far.”

In latest markets for the Healy Stakes, General Salute is a $6 chance behind $5 favourite Need Some Luck.