Trainer Mark Riley says last week's Rupert Clarke Stakes casualty Gold Salute is lucky to have the chance to resurrect his spring campaign.On Sunday the six-year-old returns to Caulfield in the Zambari Handicap just eight days after he was left battered and bruised in the barriers.Riley said he was forever grateful to the barrier attendant who kept hold of Gold Salute as he tried to leave the gates with the rest of the field while his leg was hooked up over an adjacent barrier stall."The horse h
Trainer Mark Riley says last week's Rupert Clarke Stakes casualty Gold Salute is lucky to have the chance to resurrect his spring campaign.
On Sunday the six-year-old returns to Caulfield in the Zambari Handicap just eight days after he was left battered and bruised in the barriers.
Riley said he was forever grateful to the barrier attendant who kept hold of Gold Salute as he tried to leave the gates with the rest of the field while his leg was hooked up over an adjacent barrier stall.
"The horse has been lucky, that's for sure," Riley said.
"The bloke hanging on to him did an unbelievable job and really at the end of the day he's been the unsung hero."
Gold Salute and Estee were both declared non-runners in the feature.
"It could have been a lot worse," Riley said.
"The horse wasn't unscathed by any stretch of the imagination and had his bumps and bruises out of the whole ordeal but he's come through it okay."
Gold Salute was vetted on Monday before he cantered around in an 800-metre barrier trial at Cranbourne.
He was nominated for Friday night's Group One Manikato Stakes (1200m) before Riley chose the Zambari, over 1440 metres, as a more suitable mission.
"He could have run in the Manikato but the Zambari distance was more in line with where we want to go with the horse," Riley said.
He said with the Rupert Clarke disaster behind him, the Group One Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on October 10 and the Group One Emirates Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on November 8 were now Gold Salute's targets.
"This is a nice race to take him to the Toorak in two weeks," Riley said.
"He's got 59.5kg which is a fair task for any horse to carry but hopefully he can run well."
Gold Salute has been in career-best form and completed a hat-trick of wins in the Listed Winter Championship Final (1600m) at Flemington on July 4.
At his only run since he finished second in the Group Three Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (1200m) after taking a rails path and being run down in the last 50 metres by Swift Alliance on the opposite side of the track.