Trainer Clayton Douglas to take Giga Kick to Sydney for first trial in his comeback to racing

Giga Kick now takes second place in trainer Clayton Douglas’s world but The Everest winner is set to hit the road for the next step in his long comeback program from injury.

New father Clayton Douglas will take Giga Kick to Sydney to trial on former ground in the coming weeks. Picture: Grant Peters - Trackside Photography.

Star sprinter Giga Kick is no longer the first thing that trainer Clayton Douglas thinks about every morning.

Giga Kick might have won an Everest and two Group 1 contests but Douglas’s newborn daughter, who arrived a couple of weeks early last month, now takes priority in his mornings.

“There’s not a lot of sleep at the moment, but it’s really good,” Douglas said.

However, Giga Kick is still high in Douglas’s thinking with the winner of more than $9m never far away from his mind, even at night.

“I’ve actually got a camera in his box so it’s quite easy to check him at night to see if he’s all right,” he said.

Giga Kick has occupied plenty of the stable’s time in recent weeks despite the four-year-old being off the scene since tearing muscles in his hindquarters at The Valley in September last year.

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Douglas said the gelding was nearing the stage in his comeback where he was ready to gallop before heading to the trials.

“He’s just up and going even time at the moment and we’re doing a little bit with him,” he said.

Douglas said connections initially thought of preparing Giga Kick to resume in the Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes at Caulfield next month but have since changed plans.

Instead, Douglas said a long float trip to Sydney would be a better option for the son of Scissor Kick.

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Giga Kick has not raced since tearing muscles in his hindquarters in a Group 2 race last September. Picture: Getty Images.

“We will probably take him for a little drive in the next three weeks to a month,” Douglas said.

“Once we get him going a little bit and the tracks get a little bit too wet down here, we’ll trek him up to Sydney. We’ll probably give him a trial up there and then get him ready for the spring.

“It would be good for him as well to have a float trip. It will stimulate him. We spoke about running him in a Monash but decided against it.”

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Douglas said connections were keen to keep Giga Kick mentally sharp during the long build-up to his racing return.

He said the winner of seven of 11 starts was always keen to work, rather than being in a spelling paddock.

“He’s had a long time off and we just don’t want him getting too stagnant,” Douglas said.

“He can go for a bit of a drive and have a holiday for a few weeks. He likes going to the races and likes being in work and being a racehorse.

“He does better in work than being out of work. He likes being active.”

Douglas said connections would decide on a kick-off race for Giga Kick after his first trial this time in.

Originally published as Trainer Clayton Douglas to take Giga Kick to Sydney for first trial in his comeback to racing