Trainer Clayton Douglas is looking forward to seeing his star sprinter Giga Kick trial to get a better understanding of where the gelding is at after his injury induced lay-off.
Giga Kick has been working up steadily at Mornington in preparation for his return to racing in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on September 7.
It will be two days shy of 12 months since Giga Kick last raced, when third behind Imperatriz in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley.
Giga Kick was later diagnosed with a torn muscle between his hamstring and hip which only time could heal.
Douglas is planning to leave for Sydney next week and stable Giga Kick at Randwick in preparation for a trial at that track on August 16 and then another two weeks later.
He said those trials would be crucial in telling the trainer how advanced the sprinter is as he prepares Giga Kick for a shot at The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 19.
“We’ll head up to Randwick, get him settled in, and we’ll look to trial him on August 16 at Randwick, which will be his first trial back,” Douglas said.
“Then he can have another one on August 30 and then he’ll run eight days later, all being well, in the Concorde Stakes.
“The weather has been a bit ordinary down here, and it’s been pretty hard to find the right surfaces, but Mornington have been very accommodating.”
Douglas said Giga Kick had been ticking all the right boxes in his bid to get back to racing.
He said Giga Kick was gradually building his fitness with 800m gallops, including one the reverse way at Mornington last Saturday morning.
“He’s still got nice condition on him and carrying good weight, but we’ve still got plenty of time up our sleeve to trim that off him,” Douglas said.
“He’s a different horse this time. More mature, a bigger, stronger version, much heavier.
“We’re doing all the checks with our veterinary team that everything is spot on with him, and he’s ticking all the boxes, but the trials will really tell us where we’re heading.
“We’ve got a plan in place and ideally, we’ll be third-up into The Everest, so hopefully we won’t have any hiccups along the way.”
No rider has been locked in at this stage for Giga Kick’s Sydney trials and racing return and the gelding does not yet have a slot in The Everest, a race he won in 2023.
“Nothing is locked-in for The Everest, but there’s been plenty of interest and we don’t have a rider yet either,” Douglas said.
“I think we’ll screw that down in the next week or so as to who’ll ride him in the trial and then hopefully get someone to stick with him.
“He’s a high-class galloper and it’s a matter of everyone sitting on the fence and watching him, but I’m pretty confident he’s in a pretty good spot.”