Racing
Pop aims to be King of Sunlight
A trial at Rosehill will take King Of Pop a step closer to a potential trip north.
King Of Pop will be out to enhance his prospects of gaining a start in a rich slot at the Gold Coast when he trials at Rosehill.
The Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained three-year-old is down to trial in the opening heat over 1030m on Tuesday and a forward showing may be enough to get the gelding to the Gold Coast to run in the $3 million The Sunlight (1100m) on January 10.
The Sunlight is a 'slot race' for three-year-olds that was run for the first time last year.
King Of Pop was a promising two-year-old, winning on debut at Warwick Farm in February before winning the Group 3 Group 3 Black Opal Stakes (1200m) in Canberra in March.
Ryan and Alexiou then sent King Of Pop to the Group 1 Golden Slipper, in which he finished 12th behind Marhoona, before fronting up two weeks later to run second in the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) at Randwick.
Expectations were high for a spring campaign, but King Of Pop failed to deliver in three outings and the decision was made to geld the now three-year-old.
"He just didn't quite come up," Alexiou said.
"He has always been a really quiet horse, but he was racing a bit keen and not finishing off.
"He has been gelded now, so hopefully we see the King Of Pop of old.
"He has been going alright at home, and he trialled in fair time the other day.
"He will be out to have a searching trial on Tuesday and see where he's at."
King Of Pop finished second in a Warwick Farm 799m trial on December 8, and Tuesday's outing will determine whether the gelding heads north.
If selected for a slot, King Of Pop will go into The Sunlight first-up.
"There has been (interest), so he will be out to do a bit, and we'll get a line on how he's going and make sure he warrants a trip up there and is going to be competitive," Alexiou said.
Jay Ford is booked to ride King Of Pop in Tuesday's trial.
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