General Salute ready to fire for Clark in Missile Stakes
Clark rides General Salute for Rosehill trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou in the group 2 Missile Stakes, where the five-year-old Russian Revolution gelding is a $4 second elect with Sportsbet. The Joe Pride-trained favourite, Private Eye ($2.45), could instead trial at Warwick Farm on Friday and be saved for the PB Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield a week later, given the likely heavy track at Randwick.
General Salute is untested on heavy ground, but has three wins and a second from four soft-track runs.
Clark was aboard last start when General Salute came from well back in the group 3 WJ Healy Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm to finish third. It was Clark's first ride on General Salute, which hit the line again well for the jockey in a subsequent trial.
Ryan believed a draw in gate one in a smaller field should have General Salute closer in the run on Saturday.
'He'll get back a little bit, but he'll be a lot handier from the draw,' Ryan said. 'If you look at his replays from Kembla and Rosehill, he drew a bit awkward and we went back on him. The other day at Eagle Farm it was the same.
'In a couple of his trials, [jockey] Tyler Schiller said if he ever draws three or four, he'll land a lot handier, and he did the other day in the trial.
'He'll run well and he'll have that residual fitness. His trial and work has been good, so happy with him.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Australian
6 hours ago
- The Australian
Swans coach backs Heeney, Grundy for All-Australian selection
The Sydney Swans will miss the finals after making last season's grand final but should have at least two All-Australians, according to coach Dean Cox. He's declared superstar Isaac Heeney's season has been 'as good a year' as any contenders, with ruckman Brodie Grundy also vying for a blazer, but the first-year coach knows his team hasn't won enough games to have many Swans players spoken about. But amid the 'frustration and disappointment' at failing to back up last season's effort, Cox was adamant Heeney, who has kicked 35 goals, including five against reigning premiers Brisbane last week in a revenge win, had been a shining light and deserved recognition with a third All-Australian nod. 'I've looked at stats of players that are being talked about in the All-Australian team and All-Australian captains, Isaac's had as good a year as all of them,' Cox said. 'Unfortunately, we haven't won enough games for a specific player to be spoken about. He's been phenomenal for our footy club. Not many players can do what he does in the midfield and then go forward and turn a game as well. Isaac Heeney has been in All-Australian form. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images 'I think the entire AFL industry admires what Isaac can do on a football field, but as soon as you're not in the top couple of teams, you don't get spoken about as frequently. 'That doesn't mean that he hasn't had the year he had last year.' Grundy, who has been sidelined with concussion, has been a powerhouse in the ruck this season and is vying with Melbourne captain Max Gawn for the starting ruck spot in the team of the year. He could also earn a place on the bench, with a club best and fairest award also in his sights. Cox said his team not playing finals had started to sink in with the coaches and players, but a strong finish to the season, backing up the last-start win over the Lions against premiership contenders Geelong this weekend, would bring some momentum for 2026. 'There's a bit of frustration and disappointment that we're not playing finals. That's what we start every year chasing and the reality is we can't do that. Once we found that out it was deflating, it's what the players strive so hard to get to,' Cox said. 'We'll reflect when the season finishes why we didn't get there. There are a number of things we need to work on. We needed to work on them in the back half of the year but also the pre-season as well.'
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
‘Common sense needed': Ivan Cleary not comfortable with penalty try rulings
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary says he's 'not comfortable' with a couple of controversial penalty try rulings last week for attacking players being tackled in the air, with the Storm likely to launch plenty of kicks for Xavier Coates when he renews his rivalry with Brian To'o on Thursday night. The pair have squared off plenty of times in the past, with To'o sent to the sin bin in this year's State of Origin series opener for tackling the Queensland winger as he reeled in a high kick. That decision was hotly debated at the time and is back in the spotlight after both Coates and Cronulla's Teig Wilton were awarded penalty tries in round 23 after they caught kicks and were tackled in the air. The NRL brought in the rule for the 2020 season to match the international interpretations in a bid to protect players from potential injuries if contacted in the air. Last week's tackles weren't dangerous, but the NRL was comfortable with the Bunker's rulings, with coaches now on high alert leading into the finals. "That's breaking new ground now..." Thoughts on this penalty try ðŸ'€ ðŸ'° Watch #NRLDragonsSharks LIVE on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: âœ�ï¸� BLOG ðŸ'¢ MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) August 9, 2025 'I'm not comfortable,' Cleary replied when asked for his thoughts. 'I think it's one of those ones where the rule was originally made, we tend to forget why it was made and we drift off and it becomes something else. 'That rule is all about player safety. That's why it was brought in. 'I think some of the ones you've seen have nothing to do with safety, so I think there's a little bit of common sense needed around that rule. 'As long as it's deemed safe, I think you should at least get the opportunity to try to stop a try in that situation. But that's not going to happen now, so we've got to deal with it the best way we can.' The Storm enjoyed plenty of success from kicks when they played Penrith almost a year to the day in round 24, but the Panthers adjusted in the grand final and allowed Melbourne's wingers to catch the ball before smothering them the second they landed. 'That's part of being a good team. You've got to adapt whether it's interpretations or trends in the game,' Cleary said. 'We're no different and we try to do that as much as we can. 'Anyone who matches up against some of these wingers, including Xavier, it's a tough ask. But there are many ways that we can try to combat things like that. 'The best way is to not let them down there too often.' The Panthers could make a late switch and put Tom Jenkins on Coates, with To'o to give up a 12cm height advantage to his long-time rival who is the best high flyer in the NRL. To'o felt the wrath of the rule in Origin and concedes the only thing he can do against taller wingers is to ensure that they compete fairly and hope both men land safely. 'Don't tackle him in the air or take his legs out because that can do a lot of damage,' he said. 'I'm not really aware (of the rule) at the time, it's more about me competing for the ball. As long as the person comes down safely, I think that's all that matters. 'In terms of all the rules, it's one of those hard ones. 'The majority of the wingers are taller than me, so there's not much that I can do. It's my job to compete for those high balls, so as long as both of us come down safely, that's all that matters.'
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Divots, fines … and injuries: Why Souths fans should avoid storming field if Johnston breaks record
Loading South Sydney fans are being urged not to storm the pitch if Alex Johnston breaks the game's try-scoring record this weekend – because they will leave divots on the Allianz Stadium surface and may be fined. The regular pooling of water and poor drainage at the Moore Park venue has come under fire from officials and players alike – and now it poses a health hazard for supporters who could be about to witness history when Souths play Parramatta on Saturday night. Johnston needs three tries to draw level with Ken Irvine's long-standing record of 212 career tries, and four to set a new mark. The winger has scored 16 hat-tricks in his career, including two matches where he scored five tries, and another game earlier this season when he bagged four. Under the Sydney Cricket and Sportsground Act (NSW) 1978, pitch invaders risk being fined up to $5500, and a two-year ban from the venue. The surface, which has been criticised as 'slippery and wet' by Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco, could also result in injuries to spectators if they were to lose their footing running on the field. Souths forward Tallis Duncan would love to see the fans storm the pitch like they did at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2022 when Sydney Swans' star Buddy Franklin kicked his 1000th career goal. On that night, a couple of Swans players were forced off the field and had to walk down Driver Avenue just to re-enter the ground because of the hysteria. 'He's amazing, he's the best at what he does, and what he does is score tries,' Duncan said. 'He makes it look easier than what it is. A lot of the time 'Trell' [Latrell Mitchell] and Cody [Walker] don't even have to look, they just pass to the right place and AJ is there every single time.
