Pop wants to be King of The Sunlight | Just horse racing

King Of Pop will be looking to boost his chances of starting in a rich position on the Gold Coast when he tastes at Rosehill.

The Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained three-year-old will be tried in the opening heat over 1030m on Tuesday and a forward showing could be enough to get the gelding to the Gold Coast to run the $3 million The Sunlight (1100m) on January 10.

The Sunlight is a ‘final race’ for three-year-olds that was held 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 Black Opal Stakes (1200m) in Canberra in March.

Ryan and Alexiou then steered King Of Pop to the Group 1 Golden Slipper, in which he finished 12th behind Marhoona, before leading the way two weeks later to take second in the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) at Randwick.

Expectations were high for a spring campaign, but King Of Pop failed to perform in three appearances and the decision was made to geld the now three-year-old.

“He just couldn’t quite figure it out,” Alexiou said.

“He has always been a very calm horse, but he raced a bit enthusiastically and didn’t finish.

“He is now neutered, so hopefully we will see the King Of Pop of old.

‘He was doing fine at home, and recently had a trial in a reasonable time.

“He will go out on Tuesday for a search process and see where he stands.”

King Of Pop finished second in a Warwick Farm 799m trial on December 8, and Tuesday’s performance will determine whether the gelding heads north.

If selected for a slot, King Of Pop will go first to The Sunlight.

“There was (interest), so he’ll do something, and we’ll get an indication of how he’s doing and make sure he warrants a trip there and will be competitive,” Alexiou said.

Jay Ford has been booked to ride King Of Pop in Tuesday’s trial.

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