Everest winner Giga Kick poised to let fly in The Goodwood
The brilliant sprinter, which won the 2022 The Everest, headlines a field of 13 on Saturday, and will be the star attraction on the final day of the Adelaide Racing Carnival.
Years gone by has seen The Goodwood (1200m) lure stars of the turf such as Takeover Target (2009) and Black Caviar (2012) to Morphettville, yet Giga Kick, with almost $13 million in career earnings, will be the highest earning horse to ever race in Adelaide.
• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
The son of Scissor Kick enters Saturday's race first-up, six months between runs, and Douglas is confident he's ready to fly as a $2.20 favourite.
'I'm very happy with him, he obviously travelled over Wednesday,' Douglas said.
'I had a little trot and canter at Morphettville with him Thursday, and I'm very pleased with how he is.
'He had a nice gallop on the course proper at Mornington before he left, I thought he worked very well.
'Saturday's race looks like a really nice race for him, he's quite a seasoned traveller now.
'He's had three trials to get ready for this race – I'm looking forward to it.'
Giga Kick wins the All Aged Stakes at Randwick in 2023. Picture: Bradley Photos
READ: Bedggood hoping extra trip brings change in Fortune
The Goodwood appeared the ideal kick-starter for Giga Kick, his weight of 54.5kg the lightest impost the gelding has carried since the Champions Sprint in 2022.
'Obviously with the weight relief he gets, through the set weights and penalties (it appealed),' he said.
'With the weight-for-age scale he would've got 58.5kg, just because he's a horse that hasn't won for a while he's missed the penalty.
'Getting in at 54.5kg, it's a very nice weight for him, for a horse that's won an Everest, and a big track like Morphettville should suit him.'
Giga Kick has two wins from five starts first-up, and will be piloted by Melbourne Cup-winning hoop Mark Zahra, who has had a brilliant Adelaide Carnival, winning the Australasian Oaks and Robert Sangster Stakes already.
Giga Kick, ridden by Douglas, at trackwork at Morphettville on Thursday . Picture: Racing SA
READ: Mate's success drives Price to pull off Goodwood upset
Giga Kick has drawn barrier 12, and Douglas is optimistic the wide gate can work in their favour.
'They've been getting away from the rail I've noticed in the last few weeks, with a bit of racing, probably from his draw as well, it might suit him,' he said.
'It looks like they've been running on down the middle, I would suspect that's where he'll be, and hopefully he can be doing that Saturday.
'He will probably get that nice run, off the speed, travelling comfortably, hopefully somewhere wide with cover, and he can be blending in from there.
'When he's on, he's been an amazing horse to watch, what he did in an Everest as a three-year-old, he won an All Aged Stakes, beating some top class horses from a wide alley, from that wide gate I don't think it should be a problem.'
There will be plenty of excitement trackside when Giga Kick steps out on Saturday, a win in The Goodwood would add another chapter to what has been a journey of a lifetime for Douglas.
'It's a lot for someone like me to have a good horse like him,' Douglas said.
'He's such a well-credentialed horse, he's done so much for my career, as long as I'm ticking all the boxes and doing everything right by him I'm sure he'll keep repaying me.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
5 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Izak Rankine gifted contentious 50-metre penalty in dying stages of thrilling Adelaide win
Controversy erupted after a contentious 50-metre penalty during the thrilling last quarter between Adelaide and Hawthorn on Friday night. Before eventually going on to win by 14 points, the Crows were gifted a certain goal when Izak Rankine was walked to the goal line because James Sicily encroached on the mark. Sicily and his nearby teammates Massimo D'Ambrosio and Jack Scrimshaw protested that it should have been play on because Rankine appeared to run off his mark. Replays later showed the reason Rankine moved off his mark was because the ball was in fact touched before it got to him, meaning it shouldn't have been a mark in the first place. But it was paid as one, and the umpire wasn't satisfied that he moved enough to call play on. 'Hawthorn thought it was play on — it wasn't,' James Brayshaw said. Matthew Richardson added: 'Izak Rankine thought it was play on', and Kane Cornes said, 'He played on!' Sicily could be heard pleading his case to the umpire after the goal was kicked, which extended the Crows' lead at the time to 12 points, giving them the buffer they needed to hang on with 14 minutes left. 'Even he thought he played on,' Sicily said of Rankine, to which the umpire responded, 'He (the controlling umpire) didn't call play on, the umpire didn't call play on.' Cornes couldn't believe it: 'It's just a disgraceful 50-metre penalty. 'The player on the mark reacts to the player with the ball. He's allowed to move because he's played on. 'And we'll have a look at it — it's touched anyway, so that's the reason Izak Rankine played on, that's the reason Sicily reacted. 'How can you miss that? Crows spearhead Riley Thilthorpe slotted four goals in the comeback win, which returns them to top of the AFL ladder. The fast-finishing Crows kicked six goals to two in the last quarter for a gutsy 15.11 (101) to 13.9 (87) triumph. The Crows slipped 32 points down late in the first term before a sell-out 50,654-strong crowd at Adelaide Oval. They recovered to take the lead, only to lose it and trail by eight points at three-quarter time. The Crows, with stars Rankine and Taylor Walker kicking two goals each in a final term, then finished with a flourish. Walker converted two long-range set shots to seal victory — he kicked three goals for the game, as did Rankine. Adelaide sit top with a 15-5 win-loss record but Collingwood could reclaim pole position with a victory over the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night. Hawthorn (13-7) remain in fifth — only a win ahead of ninth spot — and hold fresh concern over influential midfielder Will Day, who limped from the field late. The Hawks were gallant but ultimately overpowered by the Crows who were well-served by Irish-born defender Mark Keane (21 disposals, six marks), halfback Wayne Milera (19 touches) and winger Dan Curtin (20). Key forward Thilthorpe's four-goal haul was complemented by Rankine and Walker while captain Jordan Dawson kicked two majors from his 21 disposals. Hawthorn stalwart Jack Gunston booted four goals and Jack Ginnivan (19 disposals) two. Hawk duo D'Ambrosio (25 possessions) and Karl Amon (23) were standouts and skipper James Sicily dominated in the air with 11 marks. In a wildly fluctuating fixture, Hawthorn raced to a 32-point lead late in the first quarter. The Crows hit back with 6.6 to nothing in the second term for a 16-point advantage at halftime. Adelaide went 18 points up before a steely response from the Hawks returned six of the next seven goals as the visitors edged eight points clear at the final change. The Crows then jumped 12 points up before two goals from Gunston, both from holding free kicks, out the Hawks one point up. Adelaide responded with the last three goals of the game, with Walker's two long bombs sending the sell-out crowd into raptures.
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
Broncos hit with injuries, Ezra Mam report in belting of the hapless Rabbitohs
The Broncos thrashed the Rabbitohs 60-14 on the back of a Reece Walsh masterclass for their highest score in 14 years, but Xavier Willison suffered a broken arm at Suncorp Stadium. Payne Haas was also ruled out pre-match due to an infection, while Ezra Mam was placed on report to tarnish an otherwise stellar night for the home side. Walsh had four try assists and a try, while Kotoni Staggs, Deine Mariner and Ezra Mam grabbed doubles in the 10 tries to two rout. Staggs put Selwyn Cobbo through a hole before he found Mam who passed back and forth to Walsh to race away and score and give the Broncos the lead. Mam was placed on report for high contact on Souths fullback Jye Gray. Adam Reynolds put the ball on a dime for Jack Gosiewski to dive on a grubber to score the Broncos' second. Lewis Dodd put up a pinpoint cross-field kick for Bayleigh Bentley-Hape to produce a brilliant catch to score and get Souths on the board. Walsh put Staggs through a hole as the Broncos scored a dagger just before the break. However Tallis Duncan charged over on the stroke of half-time, but Souths' second missed goal of the night made it 18-8 at the interval. A costly error from Jacob Host allowed Cobbo to pounce and race away to score a 50-metre try against the run of play. In a big blow for the Broncos prop Willison suffered a suspected broken forearm. Walsh produced some magic quick hands to put Mariner over for another try as the Broncos looked to run away with it. Ben Talty charged over from close range off a pass from Billy Walters as the Broncos threatened a cricket score. Mariner finished off a slick Broncos raid to dive over in the corner for his second as the Broncos extended their lead. Mariner turned provider to put Staggs over for his double as the Broncos pushed towards a half century. Mam sliced through a gaping hole to score a double of his own as the Broncos passed 50. Lachlan Hubner scored a consolation try for Souths after Ashton Ward saved a try at the other end with a try-saving tackle on Jordan Riki. Patrick Carrigan put Walsh over for a late try to cap a big win for the Broncos in style on another sad night for the Rabbitohs. Walsh came bounced back from one of his worst performances of the season to produce one of his best in the thrashing of the Rabbitohs. Walsh's run metres were down with just 63 from eight runs, but everything he touched turned to gold in a masterclass display. Walsh finished with four tackle busts, an offload, two linebreaks, four linebreak assists and four try assists to go with the final try of the night. Mam was also brilliant with 209 run metres, four tackle busts, two linebreaks and a classy double in a superb display. With Walsh and Mam in their team and firing the Broncos will be very hard to beat in the finals and they could push into the top four after improving their points differential and the Warriors lost. But Haas had to go to hospital and be put on an IV drip due to a skin infection, while Willison's injury is another headache for Michael Maguire.
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘S**t show': Aussie Mollie O'Callaghan falls just short of passing Thorpedo
Thorpedo, your record has survived to see another day. Mollie O'Callaghan had a chance to surpass the legendary Ian Thorpe and stand alone at the very top of the country's World Championship swimming history on Friday night. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. But the 21-year-old fell agonisingly short, grabbing silver in the 100m freestyle final in a time of 52.67 seconds, just 0.12 seconds behind Dutchwoman Marrit Steenbergen. After already winning three gold medals this week, including the 200m freestyle and then the 4x200m freestyle relay just 24 hours earlier, O'Callaghan admitted she was tired after the race and pointed to her schedule compared to her 100m competitors. Watch the 100m freestyle final in the video player above 'I'm tired,' she said right after the swim. 'I'm not going to lie, last night was a big night. 'None of those girls did what I did last night. 'I'm happy to walk away with a medal. Honestly I always want to win, but to get on the podium after such a s**t show of a year, I'm pretty happy. 'And it just shows the strength that I have in the book. I've barely done any training for this.' O'Callaghan came into Friday night's final level with Thorpe on 11 World Championship gold medals, one ahead of another great in Grant Hackett. After finishing fourth in the two-lap sprint at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 21-year-old O'Callaghan was keen for redemption in Singapore. After making the turn in fourth, O'Callaghan lifted but couldn't quite overhaul Steenbergen. Prior to the race, Thorpe himself was hoping O'Callaghan would move one gold medal clear of his record. 'I'd be more than happy to see it go tonight,' he said on Channel 9. 'Mollie O'Callaghan is an incredible talent. It's gone a little bit under the radar but I'm really happy for her.' It wasn't quite to be on Friday night, but the youngster still has plenty more opportunities to pass Thorpe's mark and set a record way out all by herself. It's been an incredible week for the Queenslander, who backed up her 200m Olympic title by blowing her rivals away over the final 50m of the race on Wednesday night. O'Callaghan powered away after the final turn and touched the wall in a time of 1:53.48 to edge out China's Bingjie Li (1:54.52) and America's Claire Weinstein (1:54.67). Then in Thursday's relay, Channel 9 commentators noticed O'Callaghan could barely keep her feet after exiting the pool and celebrating with teammates Lani Pallister, Jamie Perkins and Brittany Castelluzzo. They finished in a time of 7:39.35, ahead of USA in 7:40.01 and China (7:42.99) in third. O'Callaghan's gutsy effort came just 90 minutes after she secured her spot in the 100m freestyle final in winning her semi-final. 'It was pretty rough backing it up after the 100 free … you can't really take it easy in the 100 free,' O'Callaghan said. 'I do it for the team, for the country. I know these girls put their whole work into this. 'It's a dream to be part of this team and I did it for these girls.' She started favourite for the 100m freestyle final, but walked away with silver as Thorpe's name remained in equal first for now.
