Latest news with #ClaytonDouglas
News.com.au
12 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Giga Kick trainer Clayton Douglas queries Joliestar ‘best horse' tag in Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup
Clayton Douglas has heard it … but he won't cop it. 'I know everyone keeps saying Joliestar is the best horse in the race, but I don't know how they work that out?' Douglas queried. 'I think it's fairly evident that Giga Kick is, he's won an Everest. What he has done is amazing. 'Yeah, Joliestar is a good mare. But I think Giga Kick should be held at least in the same regard as her. 'I would be thinking she would have to run past us to beat us, although we will wait and see. 'Tactics will be a big thing on Saturday.' • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! So sets the tone for a thrilling clash between the two betting fancies in Saturday's Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup which was rescheduled from a washed out Eagle Farm card seven days earlier. Bookies have pencilled it in as pretty much a clash in two. Joliestar, who counts this year's Newmarket Handicap among her two Group 1 wins and $3.9m in prizemoney, is the $2.30 favourite. Giga Kick, also boasting two Group 1 wins but also an epic triumph in the 2022 The Everest as well as $12.8m in prizemoney in the bank, is the second pick at $4. • Giga Kick does have the points against Joliestar from last year's Everest, with Giga Kick finishing runner-up and Joliestar seventh although admittedly racing without much luck. Both have had to cool their jets for an extra seven days after last Saturday's postponement. Giga Kick has not raced for a month since resuming when he was a victim of circumstances, finishing third in the Group 1 Goodwood in Adelaide when he was the $2.10 favourite. Douglas isn't fazed by the Kingsford Smith Cup racing seven days late and said Giga Kick had an important track gallop at Doomben on Wednesday. 'There were horses galloping on the course proper at Eagle Farm on Tuesday but I thought it was better waiting an extra day to gallop at Doomben when things had dried out a bit more,' Douglas said. 'I was able to get a really good gallop into him as well, he worked terrific. 'I don't think the increased gap between runs is any problem for him at all. 'This looks a really good race for him.' Win or lose on Saturday at Eagle Farm, it is likely Giga Kick will be on his way to the spelling paddock next week rather than the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap. With Giga Kick weighted with 58.5kg in the Stradbroke and now having to back-up to compete in Queensland's most prestigious race, a Stradbroke mission may not be probable. But the Giga Kick camp paid up at the latest round of Stradbroke acceptances this week and Douglas says he has left the window slightly ajar. 'If he was absolutely no chance for the Stradbroke, we wouldn't have accepted in the latest round of acceptances,' Douglas said. 'We probably just accepted just in case something interesting happened. 'But we will just wait and see. 'We are leaving our options open until after Saturday.'
News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
No Frankie, no worries for Giga Kick in Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup mission
No Frankie, no worries. Giga Kick and his trusty sidekick, Frankie the pint-sized pony, have been the Batman and Robin of the Australian racing scene. Little Frankie was originally purchased about a decade ago by Giga Kick's owner Jonathan Munz for his sons Albert and Alex. Frankie and Giga Kick are rarely seen without each other and in recent years Frankie has been the star racehorse's constant travelling companion. But Frankie hasn't made the trip to Brisbane for his great mate's Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) mission. 'Giga Kick flew up this time, so Frankie didn't make the trip,' Giga Kick's trainer Clayton Douglas said. 'It's the first time he has been away without Frankie. 'Hopefully it's not a jinx, we will see on Saturday.' While there is no Frankie to keep Giga Kick company, there is a growing sense of confidence from the Giga Kick camp that the elite sprinter could be getting back to some of his three-year-old form which saw him become an Everest champion in 2022. The multiple Group 1 -winner may have been beaten first-up when the conditions of the Group 1 Goodwood in Adelaide should have suited him. But little went to plan and although he didn't win – and hasn't won for two years – Douglas was happy with what he saw when Giga Kick surged late for third behind Reserve Bank. The 3YO colt has now won three races in a row ðŸ'' @MickPriceRacing @jamieleekah07 — (@Racing) May 10, 2025 * Callow to miss Derby after jockey altercation Newmarket Handicap champion Joliestar is the $3 favourite for the Kingsford Smith but Douglas points out Giga Kick ($5) beat her home in The Everest last year. 'Joliestar is going to start favourite and rightly so, but if Giga Kick had even luck and won the other day in Adelaide, what price would he be?' Douglas said. 'The last time we met Joliestar, we beat her in The Everest. 'It seems like we could get a bit of rain on Saturday and I'm not concerned about that, I think it will be suitable for him. 'Giga Kick's last preparation was a bit of a wait and see prep with him and it was good that he was able to perform in The Everest (finishing runner-up to Bella Nipotina) the way he did. 'The horse is now in even better condition and his body is moving great. 'Whether we are going to see the three-year-old sort of form from him that we once saw, I hope so, but it is hard to say. 'One thing I do know is he's going to be more than competitive on Saturday.' All runners in the Kingsford Smith Cup, as well as the Group 1 Queensland Derby, were trotted up in front of vets on Friday and cleared to start.
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Clayton Douglas has Giga Kick primed for breakthrough win in Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup
'They will know he is in the race.' So says Giga Kick's trainer Clayton Douglas as the multiple Group 1 winner and 2022 The Everest champion aims up to try to snap a winning drought stretching back more than two years. • Racenet iQ members get full access to our Pro Tips service, where Greg Polson and our team of professional punters provide daily tips with fully transparent return on investment statistics. SUBSCRIBE NOW and start punting like a pro! A lot of water has gone under the bridge since Giga Kick's last triumph, his win in the Doomben 10,000 of 2023. He was sidelined for more than a year with injury, returning last spring and finishing runner-up in The Everest he had won two years earlier. Giga Kick had his first run in 2025 when starting the $2.10 favourite in The Goodwood in Adelaide, only to finish third after getting too far back and then being speared off the track. Giga Kick has never raced at Eagle Farm, the venue for Saturday's Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup where he is one of the key fancies. But, after giving him a spin around a foggy Eagle Farm on Tuesday morning, Douglas said: 'I think the big track at Eagle Farm is really going to suit him. Giga Kick, the dual Group 1-winner and 2022 The Everest champ, gallops at Eagle Farm this morning ahead of Saturday’s $1m Kingsford Smith Cup. 🎥: @bendorries76 — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) May 26, 2025 'They will know he is in the race. 'He has tightened right up and with a three-week gap between runs, he has been able to get some nice pieces of work in. 'He seems to be absolutely thriving up here in Queensland and I am really happy with him.' While Douglas was disappointed with the result in Adelaide, he was far from disappointed with Giga Kick's run. And he believes that now stepping up from 1200m to 1300m will be right in his stable star's sweet spot. Trainer Clayton Douglas talks up Giga Kick's prospects in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm on Saturday. 🎥 via @bendorries76 STORY: @c_douglasracing @Racing_QLD — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) May 27, 2025 'In the run in transit in The Goodwood, he ended up too far back in the race and then there was a bit of a scrimmage in front of him and he was speared off the track,' Douglas said. 'He rattled to the line. 'Off that run, it looks like the 1300(m) of the Kingsford Smith will be ideal for him. 'He worked good at Eagle Farm this morning and I'm rapt with how he is going.' Giga Kick will carry 59kg on Saturday as he faces off against the likes of Newmarket Handicap champion Joliestar, resuming Group 1 winner Private Eye and local hero Rothfire. He has drawn barrier 10 of 14 in the Kingsford Smith Cup field and will be ridden by Mark Zahra. When Stradbroke Handicap weights were released on Monday, Giga Kick was whacked with 58.5kg topweight in Queensland's most prestigious race. It means he is unlikely to race in the Stradbroke, although Douglas didn't completely rule it out. 'I would think he would be unlikely to run in the Stradbroke with 58.5(kg),' Douglas said. 'But it will be a nice problem to have if we burst clear Saturday and win easily and he pulls up well. 'If that happens, we would have a think about it. 'But he's probably really badly in the weights in the Stradbroke, albeit he deserves it, he's won a few Group 1s and an Everest. 'He will carry 59(kg) on Saturday but the issue with the big weight in the Stradbroke is that it's relative to what every other horse is going to carry in that race.'
News.com.au
17-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Clayton Douglas praises Tom Prebble ride on $71 outsider Title Fighter in Straight Six at Flemington
Punters wouldn't have enjoyed the race but apprentice Tom Prebble won't forget Saturday's Listed Straight Six (1200m) at Flemington. Prebble continued a terrific day for bookmakers when he posted his first stakes win aboard the $71 chance Title Fighter in the $175,000 feature. Most punters expected the Grahame Begg-trained King Zephyr to stretch his winning streak to five but their hopes were gone at the halfway point as the $1.80 favourite struggled in the deteriorating ground. Trainer Clayton Douglas said Prebble rightly went early to challenge the leaders on Title Fighter before the sprinter held on to beat fellow roughie Deekay ($26) and former Singapore star Lim's Kosciuszko ($12). The young rider was thrilled to notch his first stakes win, especially as his father, former champion international jockey Brett Prebble, was on course. The apprentice, who was unable to use his claim in the Straight Six, winning his maiden stakes contest was only part of his bigger plans. Good work if you found Title Fighter at $69! 🫨 Title Fighter wins the Straight Six at Flemington in the pouring rain! @c_douglasracing @thomas_prebble â€' 7HorseRacing ðŸ�Ž (@7horseracing) May 17, 2025 'I just see every race as the next and I want to win all of them,' Prebble said. 'When I got the opportunity to ride in a Listed race, I just took the opportunity. It unfolded awesomely. 'When I was travelling on the back of (Lim's) Kosciuszko, I knew being a class horse, when I was going better than him, I had to push the button.' Douglas, who himself rode successfully on the flat and over jumps before taking to training, said Prebble rode Title Fighter perfectly. 'I couldn't have asked for a better ride,' Douglas said. 'He rode him terrific. 'He's got a big future, this kid.' Douglas said Title Fighter went around over the odds considering the son of Lean Mean Machine had little luck in the Listed Wangoom Handicap at Warrnambool at his previous outing. 'He's a quirky horse,' Douglas said. 'You just need to get the first furlong right, then he's right. 'We drew the outside gate today so it worked out perfectly.' Title Fighter's shock win went a little way to easing the disappointment of stable star Giga Kick's third-placed run in last Saturday's Group 1 Goodwood in Adelaide.
The Australian
09-05-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
Everest winner Giga Kick poised to let fly in The Goodwood
The Everest-winning Giga Kick has The Goodwood at his mercy with Mornington trainer Clayton Douglas delighted with his two-time Group 1 winner ahead of the $1 million sprint at Morphettville on Saturday. The brilliant sprinter, which won the 2022 The Everest, headlines a field of 13 on Saturday, and will be the star attraction on the final day of the Adelaide Racing Carnival. Years gone by has seen The Goodwood (1200m) lure stars of the turf such as Takeover Target (2009) and Black Caviar (2012) to Morphettville, yet Giga Kick, with almost $13 million in career earnings, will be the highest earning horse to ever race in Adelaide. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The son of Scissor Kick enters Saturday's race first-up, six months between runs, and Douglas is confident he's ready to fly as a $2.20 favourite. 'I'm very happy with him, he obviously travelled over Wednesday,' Douglas said. 'I had a little trot and canter at Morphettville with him Thursday, and I'm very pleased with how he is. 'He had a nice gallop on the course proper at Mornington before he left, I thought he worked very well. 'Saturday's race looks like a really nice race for him, he's quite a seasoned traveller now. 'He's had three trials to get ready for this race – I'm looking forward to it.' Giga Kick wins the All Aged Stakes at Randwick in 2023. Picture: Bradley Photos READ: Bedggood hoping extra trip brings change in Fortune The Goodwood appeared the ideal kick-starter for Giga Kick, his weight of 54.5kg the lightest impost the gelding has carried since the Champions Sprint in 2022. 'Obviously with the weight relief he gets, through the set weights and penalties (it appealed),' he said. 'With the weight-for-age scale he would've got 58.5kg, just because he's a horse that hasn't won for a while he's missed the penalty. 'Getting in at 54.5kg, it's a very nice weight for him, for a horse that's won an Everest, and a big track like Morphettville should suit him.' Giga Kick has two wins from five starts first-up, and will be piloted by Melbourne Cup-winning hoop Mark Zahra, who has had a brilliant Adelaide Carnival, winning the Australasian Oaks and Robert Sangster Stakes already. Giga Kick, ridden by Douglas, at trackwork at Morphettville on Thursday . Picture: Racing SA READ: Mate's success drives Price to pull off Goodwood upset Giga Kick has drawn barrier 12, and Douglas is optimistic the wide gate can work in their favour. 'They've been getting away from the rail I've noticed in the last few weeks, with a bit of racing, probably from his draw as well, it might suit him,' he said. 'It looks like they've been running on down the middle, I would suspect that's where he'll be, and hopefully he can be doing that Saturday. 'He will probably get that nice run, off the speed, travelling comfortably, hopefully somewhere wide with cover, and he can be blending in from there. 'When he's on, he's been an amazing horse to watch, what he did in an Everest as a three-year-old, he won an All Aged Stakes, beating some top class horses from a wide alley, from that wide gate I don't think it should be a problem.' There will be plenty of excitement trackside when Giga Kick steps out on Saturday, a win in The Goodwood would add another chapter to what has been a journey of a lifetime for Douglas. 'It's a lot for someone like me to have a good horse like him,' Douglas said. 'He's such a well-credentialed horse, he's done so much for my career, as long as I'm ticking all the boxes and doing everything right by him I'm sure he'll keep repaying me.'
