Clayton Douglas has Giga Kick primed for breakthrough win in Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup

Giga Kick’s trainer Clayton Douglas has given a telling insight into his champion horse after giving him a spin around Eagle Farm ahead of the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup.

Giga Kick winning the All Aged Stakes at Randwick in 2023. Picture: Bradley Photos

“They will know he is in the race.”

So says Giga Kick’s trainer Clayton Douglas as the multiple Group 1 winner and 2022 The Everest champion aims up to try to snap a winning drought stretching back more than two years.

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A lot of water has gone under the bridge since Giga Kick’s last triumph, his win in the Doomben 10,000 of 2023.

He was sidelined for more than a year with injury, returning last spring and finishing runner-up in The Everest he had won two years earlier.

Giga Kick had his first run in 2025 when starting the $2.10 favourite in The Goodwood in Adelaide, only to finish third after getting too far back and then being speared off the track.

Giga Kick has never raced at Eagle Farm, the venue for Saturday’s Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup where he is one of the key fancies.

But, after giving him a spin around a foggy Eagle Farm on Tuesday morning, Douglas said:

“I think the big track at Eagle Farm is really going to suit him.

Giga Kick, the dual Group 1-winner and 2022 The Everest champ, gallops at Eagle Farm this morning ahead of Saturday’s $1m Kingsford Smith Cup. 🎥: @bendorries76pic.twitter.com/1PRthFt4AW

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“They will know he is in the race.

“He has tightened right up and with a three-week gap between runs, he has been able to get some nice pieces of work in.

“He seems to be absolutely thriving up here in Queensland and I am really happy with him.”

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While Douglas was disappointed with the result in Adelaide, he was far from disappointed with Giga Kick’s run.

And he believes that now stepping up from 1200m to 1300m will be right in his stable star’s sweet spot.

Trainer Clayton Douglas talks up Giga Kick's prospects in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

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“In the run in transit in The Goodwood, he ended up too far back in the race and then there was a bit of a scrimmage in front of him and he was speared off the track,” Douglas said.

“He rattled to the line.

“Off that run, it looks like the 1300(m) of the Kingsford Smith will be ideal for him.

“He worked good at Eagle Farm this morning and I’m rapt with how he is going.”

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Giga Kick will carry 59kg on Saturday as he faces off against the likes of Newmarket Handicap champion Joliestar, resuming Group 1 winner Private Eye and local hero Rothfire.

He has drawn barrier 10 of 14 in the Kingsford Smith Cup field and will be ridden by Mark Zahra.

When Stradbroke Handicap weights were released on Monday, Giga Kick was whacked with 58.5kg topweight in Queensland’s most prestigious race.

It means he is unlikely to race in the Stradbroke, although Douglas didn’t completely rule it out.

Douglas hoses down Giga Kick after Tuesday morning’s gallop at Eagle Farm. Picture: Ben Dorries

“I would think he would be unlikely to run in the Stradbroke with 58.5(kg),” Douglas said.

“But it will be a nice problem to have if we burst clear Saturday and win easily and he pulls up well.

“If that happens, we would have a think about it.

“But he’s probably really badly in the weights in the Stradbroke, albeit he deserves it, he’s won a few Group 1s and an Everest.

“He will carry 59(kg) on Saturday but the issue with the big weight in the Stradbroke is that it’s relative to what every other horse is going to carry in that race.”

Originally published as Clayton Douglas has Giga Kick primed for breakthrough win in Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup