Caulfield tonic coming after nightmare weekend for King Magnus trainers Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock

Co-trainers Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock couldn’t take a trick with King Magnus last weekend but that will be put to one side if the gelding can win at Group 3 level on Saturday.

King Magnus will be out to atone for a frustrating weekend in Saturday’s Group 3 Kevin Heffernan Stakes at Caulfield. Picture: Getty Images

Trainers Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock could do with some luck on Saturday after a frustrating weekend with stable star King Magnus.

A minor issue prevented Griffiths and de Kock from giving King Magnus a chance to win a second Cranbourne Cup last Saturday, but the camp had Sunday’s Kilmore Cup as the perfect back-up race.

However, the Kilmore Cup meeting was abandoned after jockeys found an inferior patch of the track, costing King Magnus a crack at a winnable $200,000 race.

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“Last weekend we were counting our chickens before they hatched because we got to the morning of the Kilmore race and it looked a suitable race for him, six runners on a soft track,’ de Kock said.

“Then they called the meeting off and we’ve been thrown curveball after curveball.

“We’ve just had to roll with the punches a little bit.”

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But missing a run last weekend had bigger ramifications for the Cranbourne stable, who had plans to run King Magnus in one of two rich races on Saturday week.

The stable was set to look at the $500,000 Ballarat Cup or the $2 million Ingham in Sydney but those plans are in jeopardy irrespective of how King Magnus runs in Saturday’s Group 3 Kevin Heffernan Stakes (1400m).

King Magnus produced a solid first-up effort in Group 2 company on Victoria Derby Day at Flemington. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images

“It turned into a bit of a nightmare,” de Kock said.

“We’re in a bit of a predicament because we run this weekend then it’s seven-day back up into either race.

“It’s not ideal for him because he likes a little bit of time between runs.”

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King Magnus will be fitter for his solid return to racing in Group 2 company at Flemington on Derby Day.

The Bureau Of Meteorology forecast for the rest of the week indicated to de Kock a better weekend is in store for King Magnus.

“The prediction of rain all week would be nice because he loves the tracks being on the softer side,” de Kock said.

“Things were going very well and they’ve gone pear-shaped since but the horse is well and that’s the most important thing.”

Originally published as Caulfield tonic coming after nightmare weekend for King Magnus trainers Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock