Gerald Ryan is lukewarm on pursuing a Golden Slipper start with Blitzburg despite the colt outsprinting his rivals to post an all-the-way win in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes at Rosehill.
The most experienced youngster in Saturday’s field of seven, Blitzburg ($4.80) gave a strong kick at the top of the straight and never looked like being run down, scoring by 1-1/4 lengths over Hillier ($20) with the runner-up’s Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald-trained stablemate Peleus ($15) another half-length away third.
Ryan believes a race like the Black Opal Stakes in Canberra is a realistic target for the winner, although he isn’t closing the door on a 2025 Golden Slipper berth.
“He’s not a Slipper horse. I think he is a rung below,” Ryan said.
“But it is the Golden Slipper, he is only two once, so we will see how he ends up.
“The Black Opal might be his go.
“We will just pick our races with him and if he is flying at Slipper time we might go there.”
Ryan identified Saturday’s Canonbury Stakes (1100m) as an ideal target for Blitzburg following the colt’s debut win at Newcastle in November.
In between the juvenile travelled to Queensland, placing at Eagle Farm before failing to gain a start as second emergency for the Magic Millions Classic at the Gold Coast.
Ryan subsequently treated Blitzburg for a minor cough, meaning the colt couldn’t contest the 2YO Classic when it was postponed, but the two-year-old did nothing but thrive once back in Sydney.
“We couldn’t run on Friday night (seven-day rule) as I had treated him on the (previous) Saturday morning,” Ryan said.
“The stewards let me scratch him and he has not missed a beat since he’s been back at home.
“I’ve been telling everyone for days he would run ‘huge’.”
Tyler Schiller partnered Blitzburg in the Canonbury Stakes (1100m0, saying he wasn’t surprised by the performance after the colt worked strongly during the week.
“He’s not a very big horse, so I was just hoping his work didn’t take it out of him too much,” Schiller said.
“He jumped sharp today, he got to dictate. I think that was the main thing, He doesn’t really like horses getting past him and I thought he was very aggressive, when he got challenged he attacked the line awesome.”
Co-trainer Rob Archibald was delighted with the efforts of the minor placegetters considering both were on debut.
“We were hopeful but it was their first start so you are never really sure how they would go but both ran very good races,” Archibald said.
