Stable confident Chilly Girl will fire with clear running in Tea Rose

Trainer Sterling Alexiou has taken positives out of the negatives of Chilly Girl’s Furious Stakes (1200m) run as he looks confidently to the 1400m of the group 2 Tea Rose Stakes on Saturday at Randwick.

Chilly Girl finished a half-length second to Bangkok Hottie in the group 2 Furious Stakes two weeks ago, which followed a first-up win over Blue Door in the listed 1100m Rosebud.

Bangkok Hottie came down the outside of leader and favourite Pembrey in the Furious. Chilly Girl was held up briefly behind Pembrey before coming down the inside from the 300m.

Alexiou, who trains in partnership with Gerald Ryan, believed the signs were good for Chilly Girl stepping up to 1400m and he hoped she could find the front from gate two and prove hard to beat on Saturday. Chilly Girl was $3.30 TAB favourite on Thursday, ahead of Bangkok Hottie ($4.80) and Striking Alibi ($3.90), which flashed home for third in the Furious.

“She was good through the line and did everything right,” Alexiou said of the Furious.

“We rode leaders back and the favourite just took us nowhere, just in a position where we were being dictated back to the rail, which probably didn’t end up being the greatest spot on the track on the day.

“But she’s come through it really good and is ready for a peak performance on Saturday.

“We sort of felt 1400 wouldn’t be an issue for her, but you don’t really know until you get there. But just seeing her held up and still being strong through the line and after the line, it augurs well for 1400 on Saturday.”

Tim Clark also rides for the stable in the group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) when General Salute returns off two winning trials.

Now six, General Salute had a productive comeback winter from bone chip surgery, winning the 1400m Winter Stakes and placing in two other listed races. He was a $15 chance to resume a winner from gate four in the Epsom Handicap qualifier.

“He’s got a good foundation, obviously coming off not much of a turnaround through the winter,” Alexiou said.

“His two trials have been as good as he’s ever trialled. It’s quite a deep race on Saturday, but he’s a super consistent horse, probably the only thing he doesn’t find in his favour is there won’t be a bit of cut out of the track. He really enjoys getting his toe in, but he does nothing but run well.

“He’ll probably go to the Alan Brown Stakes after this, then we’ll work out where we head with him.”

Franz Josef ($9) is the Rosehill stable’s other runner at Randwick. The six-year-old runs in the third, a 1600m benchmark 88, after two sixths since returning from close to two years off the scene with injury.