A recent impressive barrier trial win by Generalissimo has given trainer Garry White plenty of confidence heading into Saturday’s $100,000 Wilkes Quality (1000m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Jockey Tye Angland, above, will ride Generalissimo in the Wilkes Quality at Randwick. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Generalissimo was spelled after winning an 1100m Class 2 at Hawkesbury on October 20 but White has high expectations for the Dream Ahead three year old for the rest of the 2017 Sydney Autumn Carnival.
“He didn’t have long out, a bit over a month, so he only needed that one trial,” White told Racing New South Wales News.
“He came out of that trial terrific so all systems go. I’m excited because it will tell me where I’m at with him.”
“We are very happy with the horse. He has always physically been a strong horse so he hasn’t changed much there but he just seems to know what it’s all about now.”
“He’ll run on Saturday and if he goes as well as we anticipate, he’ll go to the Eskimo Prince in a fortnight and then the Hobartville because Grahame Mapp owns Hobartville Stud which the race is named after so it’d be a great race for us to try and win it. Then after that I’ll put him in the Provincial Championships.”
“I know he has never raced beyond 1100m but anyone that rides him tell me that he is a 1400m horse so that’s where I’m looking to get him to in the next couple of runs.”
White is hoping to qualify Generalissimo for the Group 2 $400,000 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on February 18 and he will get a good idea when he comes up against Guard Of Honour again on Saturday.
The Hawkesbury trainer knows that Generalissimo has improved since running fifth to Guard Of Honour in the Listed $100,000 Schweppes Heritage Stakes (1100m) at Randwick on September 17.
“When we met him in the Heritage we were at level weights and only got beat a couple of lengths. He got a fair way back and finished the race off. He is a big strong horse and a real Randwick horse,” White said.
Generalissimo has drawn barrier four in the six horse Wilkes Quality and Tye Angland takes the ride after travelling to Hawkesbury to partner the three year in his 760m barrier trial win on January 16.
The Kris Lees trained Guard Of Honour heads the Wilkes Quality market order at $2.80 with Ladbrokes.com.au while Generalissimo has been listed as one of the outsiders in the small field at $14.
