Flemington performance to decide Tasmania trip for Kicking King
Kicking King can convince his trainer to contemplate a trip to Tasmania with a win at Flemington on Saturday.
Ballarat trainer Thomas Carberry is determined not to look across Bass Strait with Kicking King until at least after Saturday’s National Jockeys’ Trust Trophy at Flemington.
Saturday’s 2000m race is perfectly placed as a lead-up to next month’s Tasmanian Derby with most of the 14 runners on trial for a trip south.
Bold Soul won the NJT Trophy before winning the Tasmanian Guineas and Tasmanian Derby but Carberry’s attention solely remained on the Flemington contest.
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Carberry said a convincing win at Flemington would be the only way he would consider a Tasmanian Derby start for the promising son of Highland Reel.
“We’d probably have a race like that in the back of your mind all right but he’d probably have to win well to entertain it,” Carberry said.
“They’re options but the main race in our mind is Saturday and we’ll probably be guided by whatever happens there as to where we campaign from thereon.”
Kicking King impressed when sustaining a long run to break his maiden at Geelong before a solid second to Verona Rupes after giving a start in a 2040m race at The Valley on December 6.
Carberry said returning to a spacious track like Flemington would suit Kicking King.
“He looked like he would wind up better the further he went in his races,” Carberry said.
“The idea is that the longer straight might suit him again on Saturday.
“You would expect that he would probably be midfield or just off the pace but his best asset is his strong finish.
“Just the way he finishes off his races, he looks like he has the engine to do well at 2000(m) but also the stamina to progress further.”
Carberry has booked fellow Irishman John Allen to ride Kicking King, who has firmed from $12 into $10 in early betting on the $150,000 race.
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