Canonbury Stakes victor Blitzburg will be sidelined for the rest of the autumn due to a bone chip injury, but trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou may have found a capable stand-in with King Of Pop, who impressed with a win at Warwick Farm.

The well-bred colt, a close relative of renowned stallion Snitzel, has earned himself a shot at qualifying for the Golden Slipper after a gutsy debut in the Find Your Next G1W @ The Chase Plate (1100m) on Wednesday.

“I always thought he was my best chance in the Golden Slipper,” Ryan said.

“He was set to run in December, but he developed shin soreness, so we gave him time off. Now, we’ll gradually step him up. We’ve got three races that could get him into the field.

“What I liked about today is he sat back off a hot speed and hit the line well.”

Purchased for $800,000 at the Magic Millions, the son of 2020 Golden Slipper champion Farnan boasts a pedigree that Ryan knows inside and out.

The colt’s dam is Za Zi Ba, while his granddam, Wiener, is a half-sister to Snitzel.

“I bought his mother as a yearling, Za Zi Ba, and I bought the grandmother, Wiener and I bought her brother Snitzel, so he’s got a great pedigree,” Ryan said.

Under the guidance of jockey Jason Collett, King Of Pop ($4.40 fav) produced a strong finish to edge out Savvy Hallie ($8), with the two pulling well clear of third-placed Congressman ($6).

Ryan is yet to confirm the colt’s next race but is keeping all options on the table.

“There’s the Skyline Stakes, Todman Stakes, Canberra (Black Opal Stakes), Pago Pago,” Ryan said.

“He’s a good doing horse and a gross horse so it wouldn’t worry me if he went to the Pago Pago and backed up like Hinchinbrook.”

Back in 2010, Hinchinbrook finished third in the Pago Pago Stakes before returning a week later to place fourth in the Golden Slipper behind Crystal Lily.