The frustration still hasn’t eased for trainer Gavin Bedggood nearly a fortnight after Hedged’s luckless performance in the Group 2 Rising Fast Stakes at Flemington.

Bedggood is convinced the $240,000 race was ripe for the taking, with the Roll The Dice Racing sprinter denied clear air at a crucial stage and forced to wait until the 150m mark to build momentum.

Despite the trouble, the Capitalist gelding finished sixth, only two lengths from winner Caballus.

This Saturday, Hedged steps back to 1100m in the $175,000 Village Stakes at Caulfield, where he finally draws to get a soft run from barrier two. Beau Mertens takes the ride in place of Jamie Melham.

“I just hope he doesn’t end up in an awkward spot with nowhere to go like he did last time out,” Bedggood said.

“He lost all his momentum and by the time he got out the bird had flown, but he was really good through the line.

“If he wasn’t going to win there, he definitely runs second with even luck, so he should be hard to beat this weekend.”

That Flemington outing was only his second for Bedggood after he moved from the Price/Kent Jr yard, where he had collected four wins from 17 starts.

His stable debut for Bedggood was a near miss behind Jigsaw — a performance franked when Jigsaw later secured Group 2 honours on Cox Plate Day.

“He’s come on from those runs and back around a corner he should get a good run from the gate,” Bedggood said.

With the gelding in strong form, the stable is exploring several possible upcoming targets.

“You’ve got seven days into The Meteorite or you’ve got a fortnight into another Stakes race here and he’s also a Magic Millions horse, so that might be an option later on,” Bedggood said.

The $1 million The Meteorite is next weekend’s major sprint at Cranbourne, ahead of Caulfield’s Listed Doveton Stakes.

Find all Village Stakes odds on the JHR bookmakers guide.