The $250,000 Group III ATC Bill Ritchie (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday featured a number of runners with G1 Epsom aspirations, but the winner was not one of them with Russian Revolution gelding General Salute taking the prize.
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.
He returned to form at the back end of last season winning the Listed ATC Winter Stakes and running third in the Listed Winter Challenge, so with residual race fitness and two recent trial wins under his belt was primed for a good run.
Given a clever ride by Tim Clark, General Salute sat up on the pace with Matcha Latte and the two horses set a very modest tempo before entering the straight full of running.
They kicked clear with General Salute scoring by half a length over Matcha Latte with top weight Headly Grange working home well for third.
“He’s going super this preparation. Tim (Clark) trialled him the other day. He’s got a great association with him, and he said it was the best he’d ever felt,” said Sterling Alexiou.
“He landed in a nice spot in a sit-and-sprint race. He’s a lot better with a bit of cut out of the track, but he’s going great.”
Tim Clark was well pleased with General Salute.
“He landed a little bit closer to the speed than I thought. I was happy to be there the way the race was being run,” he said.
“I just noticed when I trialled him the other day and even today how relaxed he was pre-race. He used to be strong going to the gates and would fire up. Seems like he matured, a very talented horse.”
The victory took General Salute’s overall record to five wins and nine placings from 20 starts with prizemoney topping $1million.
Retained to race by his breeder Ross McMillan, 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 and was not covered after that.
General Salute is the second stakes-winner of the new season for Russian Revolution, who is great value at a fee of $33,000 at Newgate this spring.
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