Dual Group 1-winning sprinter Giga Kick will launch his autumn campaign in The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on May 10, bypassing a return trip to Queensland for the Doomben 10,000.
The five-year-old, owned by Jonathan Munz’s Pinecliff Racing, impressed in a 1000-metre jump-out at Balnarring on Wednesday, clocking a slick 59.03s.
That performance sealed the decision to head south instead.
“We spoke to Jonathan, and it’s too tempting with the minimum weight, so rather than go to the Doomben 10,000, he’s going to go to The Goodwood,” racing manager Rod Douglas told Racing.com.
“He ran a fast time (59.03s) this morning, as quick as they go down there and reeled in that decent mare of the Freedmans (Austmarr).
“He seems good, Mark (Zahra) was happy with him, he had a bit of a blow, so he’ll probably have a trial the week after next and that will leave him with ten or 12 days into The Goodwood.”
Giga Kick, winner of the 2022 Everest and 2023 All-Aged Stakes, is expected to race just twice this autumn, with the Group 1 Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm on May 31 also on the agenda.
Mark Zahra will take the ride in Adelaide, with horse racing bookmakers rating Giga Kick a $3 favourite for The Goodwood.
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