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| Staff Writer |
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It took something quite extraordinary to beat the force called Nature Strip on Everest day, and Clayton Douglas’ Giga Kick delivered in spectacular style.
An uncelebrated trainer who was a former picnic and jumps jockey and his 3YO albeit unbeaten sprinter upstaged one of Australian racing's most powerful stables to take home the A$15m Everest cup.
All eyes are on him and he’s still digesting the surreal reality.
“Unbelievable. To think that we came out on top and beat Nature Strip. It's awesome,” said Douglas
“And he's still unbeaten now. So, he's on an upward spiral. He might be the new kid on the block but he's only going to get stronger. He will mature and develop further as an older horse. So, it should just keep on getting better.”
It is not enough to have an unbeaten 3YO being selected at the last moment by one of the most successful slot holders in Everest’s short history, you need the courage to devise a winning strategy to take on one of the world’s most powerful of stables with the world’s fastest horse, when the track conditions are less than ideal.
And Clayton Douglas has courage in spades, which is why progressive Group Two winner Giga Kick – a big market drifter – was picked, albeit quite late for the A$15 million Everest, which his stable has never been considered for previously.
“Obviously, we knew there was plenty of speed and pressure with Nature Strip and Eduardo in the race. Mark Newman’s Joyful Fortune, was obviously intended to be forward as well. Private Eye, who ran second, had also taken up a spot a little bit closer than we probably anticipated.
“Giga Kick was just a little bit steady away from the gates and ended up in that sort of third-last position but got into the right running line where he was comfortable.
“He travelled strongly in the run. Craig was able to keep him covered up around the corner, and then obviously present at the right moment with the lightweight.
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“We always planned to be strong at the 1200m and not get there too soon,” admitted Douglas, “So, it worked out lovely.”
With over A$7 million under his belt, the son of Scissor Kick is not yet headed to the paddock this spring.
“He's back in Melbourne now and seems to have pulled up really well from his run. There are two options for him. He'll either run Saturday week in the Gr.1 Coolmore Stud Stakes for 3YOs or wait another week if we feel like he needs a bit more time after the travel and then will run into the Champions Sprint down the street over 1200 against Nature Strip.
“So, it would be a clash everyone will be wanting to see. We'll just make that call sort of over the weekend and early into next week.
“It's going to be a Mini Everest of Melbourne,” smiled Douglas conspiratorially of the bold tactical move he was considering.
In the longer run, Giga Kick, being a relatively young horse, has his card of options stacked really high.
“I've been to Dubai. I’ve experienced World Cup night and it was an amazing night. He's obviously a straight winner as well. He's won twice down in Australia already. So, the Al Quoz could potentially be a race on the cards for us.
“We can even get in a couple of prep runs in Saudi or Qatar.
“But we just want to get through his first season as a young horse. I'm sure as an older horse, there's no reason to think we can’t get him on to the world stage and present him as an Australian horse and an Australian representative.
“We will no doubt aim for the Everest again in 2023,” said Clayton. “Obviously it's a massive prize money race. Giga Kick has also proven himself to go the opposite way to what he normally goes. And he's proven himself at 1200 meters in high pressure. So, he's a genuine high-class galloper. And if it works out that he's back in the Everest field next year, and there's no reason to think that we won't be back there, we would be really hard to beat again.”
“In the Autumn we hope to aim for races like the TJ Smith, the Sydney Cup and the Lightning Stakes in Melbourne. We have a lot of options and it's a good issue to have at the moment,” said Douglas of Giga Kick. “He’s a young horse and as long as he stays down and healthy, I'll be happy.”
The 27-year-old trainer was impressed with Royal Randwick on Everest day, when it was filled to the gills with what is rumoured to be 50,000 spectators.
“It was unbelievable. The atmosphere was amazing. It was one of the biggest crowds there, after a very long time. And the weather was lovely. It was a beautiful day, with not a cloud in the sky. It felt like a massive concert,” said Clayton. “And for a young horse, I was very proud of the way Giga Kick coped with that sort of atmosphere. It was the first time he had probably seen that many people and for a young horse to handle itself the way he did, I was very proud. Every horse in that race was of good quality. There was a lot of prize money between the twelve of them. So, it was a very high-pressure race and it was amazing.”