Group 1 sprinter Giga Kick is on target for his first-up run in The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville next week, following a quiet jump-out at Balnarring on Wednesday.

Trainer Clayton Douglas confirmed the five-year-old is in excellent shape as he builds towards his May 10 return, where he’ll carry just 54.5kg under set-weights and penalties conditions.

“My jockey will have to watch his weight,” Douglas told RSN. “The 54-½ is a great weight… he hasn’t won since he was a three-year-old, and with the injury last spring, he gets in really well at the weights.”

The gelding is deep into his prep, having also jumped out at Mornington and Balnarring earlier in April, including a sharp effort over Austmarr on the 16th.

Mark Zahra partnered Giga Kick in the latest hit-out, keeping him under a tight hold throughout a smooth second-place finish over 1000m.

Douglas also took the gelding to Sandown recently for a gallop and says the groundwork has been spot-on.

“He had a little bowl around at Balnarring this morning. He wasn’t out to do too much. He had a fairly hard trial behind Austmarr a fortnight ago,” he said.

“He had a good stretch of the legs and I was really happy with how he came through it.”

Giga Kick last saluted in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 in May 2023 before sustaining an injury in the McEwen Stakes. He returned in the Concorde and Everest, finishing second in the latter.

Douglas is optimistic the star sprinter is back near his top.

“I think he’s as good as he’s ever been and he’s going to take beating,” he said.