Had events in the spring taken a divergent path, Giga Kick could well have skipped this upcoming campaign that opens at Flemington.
Giga Kick begins afresh in Saturday’s Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington, setting the stage before his Sydney autumn engagements.
Trainer Clayton Douglas revealed the gelding’s last preparation was his easiest in years, fostering hopes he can carry forward the momentum from two perfect spring runs.
Such results built on a hapless Adelaide raid for The Goodwood in May and a subpar Brisbane stint in the Kingsford Smith Cup soon after, prompting Douglas to note possible retirement absent the spring spark.
“He had a big last year, and you always worry whether they’re going to come back, a horse like him at six, rising seven,” Douglas said.
“If he hadn’t of performed last spring, we aren’t the type of people that would keep going with him, and there’s been multiple times where it’s been touch and go with him, for sure, but to see him perform as he did, it showed he’s still got that zest for racing.
“He was a bit wishy, washy in his first couple of runs back in Sydney (spring 2024) and we were wondering where he was at and then he ran really well in The Everest.
“Then again, he didn’t have the best of luck in The Goodwood and then he went up to Queensland, and it was only a fair run.
“I’m hopeful that we’ve still got another 18 months, two years, left in him, and this time I feel he’s had the ideal preparation.
“The key is keeping him in good order, feeling good, and hopefully he does the rest.”
From seven resuming efforts, Giga Kick has notched three successes, with Douglas stressing sound excuses for the defeats.
The gelding’s prolonged absence arose from injury alongside sundry ailments affecting his fresh assignments.
Douglas saw classic Giga Kick vibes in the January 29 Caulfield Heath trial, placing second behind My Gladiola, a Lightning Stakes rival.
“The other day, he was pumped up, excited to be there,” Douglas said.
“He began fast and I haven’t seen that in him for a long time, and he’s run well up the straight on numerous occasions.
“He won there at two, he won the Danehill Stakes at three and he’s won a Champions Sprint, so I don’t think it will be a problem on Saturday.”
The Saturday card assembles eight contenders, predominantly three-year-olds.
Giga Kick’s battle-hardened edge is what Douglas trusts, with three-year-olds limited to six Lightning Stakes wins in 25 years.
A cluster of four three-year-old successes occurred in six races from 2000-2005, Home Affairs scraping past Nature Strip in 2022, Coolangatta next. Get set with the latest betting markets for the race on the Lightning Stakes.
“He might not have a great first-up record, but he’s had the perfect prep leading into this,” Douglas said of Giga Kick.
“It’s going to be a good race, for sure.”
The post Giga Kick poised to sizzle in Black Caviar Lightning first appeared on Just Horse Racing.
