Trainer Gavin Bedggood has the Caulfield Cup in his sights for Kingswood, but a Group 1 race at Caulfield precedes that major target.
The Might And Power (2000m) will serve as Kingswood’s final outing before he contests the Caulfield Cup (2400m) the following Saturday.
While success in Saturday’s 2000m weight-for-age race would be welcomed, especially with the $600,000 first prize on offer, Bedggood stated that he would be satisfied if the imported galloper finishes strongly through the line.
Kingswood journeyed to New Zealand late last year, where he achieved Group 1 success. He then had two more starts in the ‘Shaky Isles’ before returning to Australia, where he has found form in his past two runs.
His first-up run resulted in a win over 1700m at Caulfield on August 29, followed by a fourth-place finish in the Underwood Stakes (1800m) on September 19.
In that race, he finished behind Birdman, who is an opponent on Saturday, and Cosmic Crusader, who was a victor at Flemington last week.
Last time out, Kingswood was required to take up a position on the speed, and Bedggood indicated that ideally, he would prefer the horse to settle off the pace.
“I don’t want to see him ridden as close as he was last time. I don’t want to see him have a hard run up on speed,” Bedggood said.
“I’d love to see him settle third or fourth, getting a lovely run, and then banging the line.”
Bedggood views Saturday’s race as an important stepping stone for Kingswood’s Caulfield Cup campaign.
The trainer has no concerns about Kingswood’s ability to run out the 2400m distance.
“He ran in a Zipping Classic at his only try at the trip, and the track went from a (good) four to a (heavy) nine on the day and it was too wet for him,” Bedggood said.
“I don’t think it was the mile-and-a-half, it was more the ground, so it is still a bit of question mark, but deep down, I don’t think it will be an issue.
“He beat St George on Melbourne Cup Day last year and he’s second favourite for the Caulfield Cup, so I don’t think there’s a lot between those two horses, and I take a gauge through that horses runs this campaign.
“There is also the option to take the winkers off him to get him to come back that peg or two if we need to next week.”
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