Fresh from claiming the opening three-year-old stakes race of the season with Skyhook, Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou are preparing to chase another, this time with well performed colt King Of Pop.
The winner of the Black Opal Stakes at two, King Of Pop will resume in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday, his first appearance since finishing second to North England in the Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) in April.
Co-trained Sterling Alexiou has been buoyed by the colt’s two trials, especially his most recent when he did the chasing behind speedy mare Bonita Queen over 900m at Canterbury last week, an important hit-out given Sydney’s recent spate of wet weather.
“His second trial was really good and it was good to get that sort of trial into him after they were pushed back a bit,” Alexiou said, referring to the session being postponed a week due to unsuitable tracks.
“He has a pretty solid foundation for his first-up run now.
“He’s come back really well. He was a really strong two-year-old and he has needed the two trials to bring him to his peak but I’m happy with how he’s going.”
Stablemate Blitzburg was also being readied for the San Domenico but won’t be lining up after he pulled up worse for wear from his unplaced effort behind Skyhook in the Rosebud (1100m).
Alexiou said it explained his disappointing performance to beat only one rival home and confirmed he would redirected towards the Heritage Stakes (1100m) at the end of next month.
“He pulled up pretty sore after the race. We probably won’t see him again for a little while, possibly until the Heritage (Stakes),” he said.
“We’ve just got to get him right again but he’s OK.”
Stablemate Grand Eagle will be given a softer target to start his campaign but Alexiou remains hopeful he can chime into the better three-year-old races deeper into the carnival.
“He will probably head to a midweek race at Kensington with the idea of going back door to a Ming Dynasty and possibly to a Golden Rose if his form warrants it,” he said.
Like King Of Pop, Grand Eagle is by 2020 Golden Slipper winner Farnan and raced four times at two, culminating in a brace of promising wins at Hawkesbury and Randwick in April.
