Star sprinter Giga Kick handed luxury weight in Group 1 The Goodwood in Adelaide

Rival trainers will be scratching their heads at the weight given to Giga Kick for his return in The Goodwood, but Clayton Douglas has an explanation.

Mornington trainer Clayton Douglas has Giga Kick primed for a first-up win in Saturday’s Group 1 Goodwood in Adelaide. Picture: David Geraghty

How does one of the world’s highest-ranked sprinters receive weight from half of his rivals in a Group 1 race?

Connections of many of Giga Kick’s rivals in The Goodwood at Morphettville would be asking the same question but Mornington trainer Clayton Douglas has the simple answer.

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“Because he hasn’t won a race for nearly two years, albeit he was nearly off for 12 months with an injury, he gets in so well at the weights,” Douglas said.

“It looks a very winnable race at the weights. If it was a handicap, it would be completely different.”

The Goodwood is run under set weights and penalties conditions, which led to Giga Kick having 54.5kg to carry in Saturday’s edition of Adelaide’s biggest sprint.

Giga Kick has the light weight despite finishing 2024 rated a point behind Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising and US sprinter Cogburn in the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.

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Giga Kick won The Everest in 2022 and was narrowly beaten in last year’s race but has not won since claiming the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 in 2023.

Douglas said Giga Kick was poised to return to winning ways in The Goodwood.

Giga Kick has had three jumpouts to prepare for his first start since the Group 1 Champions Sprint at Flemington last November.

Giga Kick will head to Brisbane for his second-up run in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Stakes. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

Douglas said the jumpouts ensured Giga Kick would be fit enough to win over 1200m first before leaving slight improvement for his second outing of the year in Brisbane.

“He’ll be hard to beat,” Douglas said.

“He’s been in work a long time so I’ve got no issues with him over 1200m, especially on the big track at Morphettville.

“He’s probably only going to have a couple of runs in this campaign.

“The next is obviously the Kingsford Smith Stakes over 1300m in Brisbane so he’s got the miles in his legs, that’s for sure.”

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Giga Kick drew barrier 12 in the 13-horse field that will tackle the $1m sprint.

Douglas said the draw would help, rather than hinder, Giga Kick’s bid for a first-up win.

“That should suit him being drawn over there,” Douglas said.

“With the way Morphettville has been playing over the last few weeks, they have been getting away from the rail too.

“It’s going to map perfectly.

“He’ll probably amble through the first 600(m) and it will be game on from there.”

Jockey Mark Zahra will get down to 54.5kg to ride Giga Kick in The Goodwood.

Zahra dominated the Morphettville meeting on April 26, winning the Group 1 Australasian Oaks on Benagil and Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes on Charm Stone.

Ben Melham will ride Charm Stone in The Goodwood.

Originally published as Star sprinter Giga Kick handed luxury weight in Group 1 The Goodwood in Adelaide