Giga Kick completes first jumpout as trainer Clayton Douglas mulls first-up options in Queensland and South Australia

Open-minded trainer Clayton Douglas has choices in Adelaide and Brisbane before the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) second-up on May 31 at Eagle Farm.

The Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) – Giga Kick won the $1.5m race in 2023 – is the “logical option”, a fortnight before the Kingsford Smith Cup.

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The $1m Goodwood (1200m) in Adelaide on May 10 would obviously require an additional interstate trip.

“There’s a few options but he will end up in Queensland, whichever way we look at it,” Douglas said.

“Leaving my options open on where we goes until after his third trial … he will more than likely be running in the Kingsford Smith (second-up).

“Whether you go Adelaide, Queensland or go Queensland and stay there, the logical option would be Queensland but I haven’t screwed that plan own just yet.

“Adelaide is there, it is a Group 1 and it is $1m … his first-up target, however way you look at it, is going to be a Group 1 over 1200m.

“He’s going to be ready to go first-up, wherever he goes.”

The 2022 Everest winner Giga Kick completed the first of three planned jumpouts on Wednesday at Mornington under jockey Mark Zahra.

Giga Kick finished third in the 800m pipe opener behind Von Hauke and Tropicus.

“Mark said he (Giga Kick) felt great,” Douglas said.

“He began good and was enthusiastic … obviously first trial back so he wasn’t asked to do a lot but he looked to be moving nicely and he pulled up well, that’s the main thing.

“I’ve taken my time with him … trying to build up slow enough to ideally get him through a bit of a winter carnival and then press on into the spring with that residual fitness.

“I didn’t have that last preparation, coming off a long lay-off.”

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Giga Kick missed 12 months after he sustained a torn muscle, deep between the hamstring and hip, in the 2023 McEwen Stakes (1000m).

He returned last year in time for spring and almost completed the fairytale comeback, placed second in The Everest third-up behind Bella Nipotina.

“This time last year, probably at this point, we were still umming and ahing whether we were going to get him back (to the racetrack),” Douglas said.

“Whereas this time he’s going to have a winter campaign, either way you look at it, and that’s going to set him up well … into the start of the spring.”

The retirements last month of multiple Group 1 stars Bella Nipotina and I Wish I Win has heralded a change of the sprint guard but Giga Kick remains an ominous force.

The five-year-old has won seven of 15 starts and should only now realistically be entering his prime.

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“We need these horses in racing,” Douglas said.

“We need these public (profile) horses.

“There’s a bit of a changing of the guard again, with Bella retired and I Wish I Win, Giga has been there competing against them.

“Hopefully we’ve still got him for another few years … he won’t have a lot of runs every year but when he does go to the races he’ll be ready to go.”

Meanwhile, Giga Kick’s younger half-brother Pantoja is an $11 chance on Thursday night at Pakenham in a competitive 1000m Class 1.

“It’s not a bad little race, it’s actually come up strong enough,” Douglas said.

“He’s never run at 1000m before but he’s quite talented, he’ll balance up somewhere early and see whether he can get over the top of them … I reckon he’ll run super.”

Originally published as Giga Kick completes first jumpout as trainer Clayton Douglas mulls first-up options in Queensland and South Australia