Kingswood’s trajectory has been impressive since he joined Gavin Bedggood’s stable.
Having begun his career in Ireland, Kingswood had a stint with Maddie Raymond at Warrnambool before transferring to the Bedggood yard in mid-2024. He made an immediate impact, winning his first two starts at Caulfield, including the Coongy Cup (2000m).
By late 2026, Bedggood opted to send Kingswood to New Zealand, where the horse secured a Group 1 victory at Ellerslie.
Coming off a recent win at Caulfield in the Heatherlie Stakes (1700m) last month, where he finished ahead of stablemate Just Folk, Kingswood is now primed for his first Group 1 test on Australian soil in the Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield this Saturday.
Although a nomination was also lodged for the Naturalism Stakes (2000m) on Saturday’s program, Bedggood confirmed the Underwood Stakes was always the initial plan. “I threw in a nom for the Naturalism in case something happened,” Bedggood stated. “He’s as good as I could have him and he’s improved from his first-up run and I suppose Saturday will be a good test to see where he sits against that calibre of horse.”
Kingswood will start from the widest gate in a field reduced to seven runners, following the scratching of Aeliana, who is set to race in the 7 Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.
Bedggood indicated that Kingswood was fit enough for his win in the Heatherlie Stakes and believes the horse has continued to progress. “He was pretty screwed down first-up but with improvement to come,” Bedggood remarked. “He definitely hasn’t regressed. His coat has improved and his last two Monday mornings have been great, so I wouldn’t swap my horse for any other in the race.”
His performance on Saturday will guide the decision for either the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 3 or the Might And Power (2000m) at Caulfield a week later.
Kingswood has been assigned 55kg for the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 17 and is positioned 20th in the ballot order after the release of weights on Thursday. The Cox Plate (2000m) at Flemington on October 24 has not been entirely ruled out.
“Everything is on the table at the moment, but his next two runs will tell us where we sit,” Bedggood advised. “My gut feeling tells me he’s not sharp enough at 10 furlongs for a Cox Plate.”
Betting markets for the Underwood Stakes are now open at Australian betting sites.
