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| Staff Writer |
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There was never much doubt Clayton Douglas would carve out a niche in horse racing. The son of a well-known trainer at Mornington, Vic, and with two uncles, Ray and Rod, who trained successfully, Clayton Douglas had ambitions as a jockey. After 248 victories, Douglas’ changing body had him change his path to horse training.
Douglas, who is still under 30, has ambitions of developing a top stable. His goal isn’t to be the biggest but the best. Douglas said he is still working out the kinks to reach his goal.
“I’ve only been training for a short period of time,” Douglas said. “Probably learning a little bit from my mistakes and by placing horses a little bit better to where they are advantaged. To be honest, we’ve got a nice, quality bunch of horses coming through, and each season we’ve been able to have a good number of two-year-old winners.”
Putting In The Hard Work
Douglas’ horses have produced 46 career victories, $11.2 million in prize money and two Group One victories. But winning isn’t something people entering horse training can necessarily expect right away. Douglas said there have been a lot of moments of failure mixed in with his successes. “My advice would be that you’re going to have more lows than highs in racing,” Douglas said. “And that’s just how it works. It’s not an easy job. You gotta get up early and you have to work hard. … I’ve been a big advocate for the harder you work, the more rewards you get.”
Douglas has reaped more than his share of rewards since he started training. Both Douglas’ Group 1 titles have come from 4YO Giga Kick, who has produced $9.5 million thus far.
Giga Kick captured The Everest in 2022, which is Australia’s richest horse race. With 400 metres left in The Everest, Giga Kick was in 10th place. He was able to produce a large kick to be able to win as an underdog.
Giga Kicking Into Action
Douglas is eager to see how Giga Kick handles an ambitious schedule in 2023. There will be a big difference this time around, as Giga Kick will no longer be an underdog. He will be expected to produce more victories. Being involved with such a successful horse has made Douglas a rockstar in the horse training circles. When Giga Kick won The Everest, everyone took notice.
“To remain unbeaten on the world’s richest race on turf, it’s phenomenal,” Douglas said. “Like you say, it’s definitely shot my name into the lights, and people have recognized me. I’ve definitely acquired some nice horses out of it. I’ve been able to sort of get a little bit more success, and our numbers are building, and our winners are starting to build. We’re starting to develop a nice team. That’s what you need, a good banner horse, and hopefully, you have the horses around you that can complement him as well.”
A Media Frenzy
The increased attention has left Douglas working to best promote the horse and the team. People in Australian racing are excited to see what Giga Kick can accomplish.
“It is comfortable,” Douglas said. “It’s quite good. Our media outlets are very good. They’re very accommodating in the sense that they know what days we’re busy. We try to really promote this horse for Australian racing and probably racing around the world in general.”
It’s hard not to enjoy the underdog nature of the story.
Giga Kick nearly never made it out of the stable. He had a colic attack as a young horse and was almost euthanized. Due to Giga Kick’s illness, he was taken off the books initially and then nearly put up for auction later. When owner Jonathan Munz decided to keep Giga Kick, Rod Douglas recommended that he have Clayton take the horse to train him.
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From Last To First
“My uncle is a racing manager for (Jonathan), and they were looking for someone to place this horse, and he was one of the last horses to be allocated for a trainer that year,” Douglas said. “It was the first horse I’ve had for Jonathan. It turned out to be Giga Kick, and it’s been an amazing ride up until now, and hopefully, it can keep on going.”
Giga Kick will open up the 2023 season on Sept. 9 at the McEwen Stakes. During his career, Giga Kick has produced ten victories and is most frequently ridden by jockey Craig Williams. Williams has won five of his seven races with Giga Kick.
Despite being a former jockey himself, Douglas said he doesn’t try to dictate racing strategy too often. Douglas believes he has found jockeys who are able to make adjustments on the fly.
‘’Generally speaking, I don’t normally tell Craig how to ride the horse,” Douglas said. “I think the main thing with the horse is to get him into a nice rhythm. He can unleash a really big turn of foot. As long as the horse can begin cleanly and stay out of trouble, that’s probably the main key. But I think we’re all on the same sort of wavelengths when it comes to that.”
In spite of having a difficult beginning in life, Giga Kick has settled in and is comfortable with his personality. Douglas has mentioned that Giga Kick seems to be able to function properly in whatever type of environment he is asked to perform in.
“What we’ve found is that it really stimulates him to go to another environment,” Douglas said. “He’s very well-mannered. He does everything right, which makes my job a lot easier. He’s a horse that likes to go down to the beach and do a bit of water walking.”
Taking Giga Kick to the beach isn’t something Douglas has a hard time with. Mornington Racecourse is just a short walk from the beach. Giga Kick finding ways to relax will serve the horse well.
Douglas is hoping Giga Kick can win the Everest for a second straight year. Giga Kick is in better shape and now has the experience of knowing what the environment is like.
“He’s a lot heavier, a lot bigger,” Douglas said. “A lot stronger. He was such a young horse at the time; he probably hadn’t experienced a lot of media. So, this time around, he’s obviously experienced that, and he’s a more furnished horse. He’s turned from a boy into a man. He’s going to race a lot heavier, and this preparation, he’s a lot bigger and he’s strong. So it’s very exciting. The physical development he’s taken is just phenomenal.”
A Family Affair
Douglas has big plans for Giga Kick in 2023. While there is still a long road ahead, Douglas wants to make sure everyone is taken care of. Horse racing has always been a family affair for Douglas, and he knows how to make sure everyone is taken care of.
More wins will involve more parties for everyone involved.
“We’ve had some good nights out, and family has been there,” Douglas said. “Obviously, the horse is at the forefront of our minds. (Giga Kick) usually goes to the beach and has a bit of a wade through the water after he runs. He has a couple of quiet days. If he can win his second Everest, I’m sure we’ll be having a good party.”
Douglas wants to keep building the team’s reputation through quality. He doesn’t need to bring in thousands of horses to feel satisfied. Douglas wants to build off Giga Kick’s success to show the world what they are capable of doing. Giga Kick has a chance to pursue a large amount of prize money if he keeps winning.
“Hopefully, that means we can keep getting some really nice horses into the stable, and it probably doesn’t mean that we have to have 150 horses in training, but we can have a nice number of horses that are quality horses that are winning at the metropolitan level,” Douglas said. “We can be having these young horses come through the stables and hopefully putting our name up in lights as well.”
By Dean McHugh