The feature race at Rosehill on Saturday was the $200,000 Listed ATC Winter Stakes (1400m) and victory went to the top weight General Salute, who has overcome some serious physical hurdles to get back into the winner’s circle.
Trained by Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, General Salute is a horse with abundant natural talent, but his career has been punctuated by some frustrating injuries that have led to considerable periods on the sidelines.
The five year-old gelding by Russian Revolution was having his third run back from a spell with Tim Clark to ride and produced his best to dash clear and win by a length.
The victory took his overall record to four wins and eight placings from 18 starts with prizemoney just shy of $870,000.
Gerald Ryan and his team have done a masterful job in managing General Salute through various issues that make his race record all the more remarkable.
"He had an operation on his foot as a foal and we've had heaps of trouble with it," Ryan said.
"He kept getting quarter cracks. When he had that long break (after the 2024 Hawkesbury Guineas), we cut all his foot away and turned him out to let it grow out.
"He came back, then after he ran at Randwick he chipped a joint and had to have surgery.
"He's had problems all his life, so it was good to see the horse do that."
Retained to race by his breeder, General Salute is a three-quarter brother to Group II ATC Villiers Stakes winner Brutality and is the second stakes-winner among four winners from five foals to race from stakes-placed General Nediym mare Star Salute.
Star Salute produced a colt by Russian Revolution last spring.
General Salute is the fifth stakes-winner this season for Russian Revolution and they include a couple of Group I winners in undefeated Kiwi trained 2YO filly Lara Antipova and Libertad, who has been retired to stand at Blue Gum Farm this spring.
Russian Revolution is outstanding value at a fee of $33,000 at Newgate this spring.
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