Thanks, but no thanks: General Salute knocks back Epsom ticket

General Salute won’t be taking advantage of a ballot exemption for the Epsom Handicap after winning that privilege at Randwick, but his trainers hope to pick off a race of equal value a week later.

The six-year-old started at $12 and posted his third black-type win in Saturday’s Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m), stalking leader Matcha Latte ($13) and wearing him down late to take out the Group 3 by a half-length.

Plagued by feet issues earlier in his career, General Salute hasn’t been troubled by them this time around, and it has been reflected in his recent form.

“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,” co-trainer Sterling Alexiou said.

“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.”

The winner of the Bill Ritchie is exempt from an Epsom Handicap (1600m) ballot, but Alexiou said the feature mile wasn’t on the radar.

General Salute will instead head towards the Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) at his home track of Rosehill on October 10, both races carrying a $1.5 million prizemoney purse.

“He hasn’t had the preparation now (for an Epsom),” Alexiou said.

“We missed a run the other week in the Tramway. He spiked a bit of a temperature a month ago, so he’ll probably go to the Alan Brown now.”

General Salute was returning from a strong off-season campaign in which he won the Winter Stakes (1400m) and placed in the Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m) and Winter Challenge (1500m).

Clark said he hadn’t planned on racing as handy to the speed as he did, but was glad he ended up there, echoing Alexiou’s sentiments the horse was in peak condition.

“He landed a little bit closer to the speed than I thought,” Clark said.

“I was happy to be there the way the race was being run.

“He seems like he’s matured and he’s a very talented horse.”

Headley Grange was sent out a $4 favourite and ran his usual honest race to finish third, three-quarters of a length off the runner-up.