Giga Kick ticking all the boxes

Trainer Clayton Douglas says he is in no hurry to see Giga Kick back at the racetrack despite the gelding being back in work for nearly a month.

Giga Kick has been off the scene since finishing third to Imperatriz in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley last September.

The 2022 Everest winner suffered a hip injury in that contest which ruled him out of last year’s spring carnival and has ended his hopes of racing in the autumn.

“It was a very a unique injury, but I’m glad we found it,” Douglas said.

“Hopefully he’s fine under full stress, but we won’t know until we try him.”

Douglas doubts Giga Kick will be ready to race during the Queensland Winter Carnival and is preferring to look ahead to the Melbourne and Sydney Spring Carnivals.

But the trainer has not ruled out taking advantage of the warmer weather in Queensland as he prepares Giga Kick for his racetrack return.

“He’s been back at my place for nearly a month now,” Douglas said.

“He’s been on the treadmill and the water walker, just doing a bit of conditioning work.

“We’ve obviously missed the boat with the T J Smith and all the autumn stuff, and whether we go to Brisbane, I don’t feel we will.

“He’ll have a few trials and we’ll get him to a certain stage and the spring will be our focus, but how I get there, I haven’t worked out what he does.

“Maybe we could give him a run in the Sir John Monash at Caulfield in July. It’s 1100 metres, weight-for-age, just as a bit of tune-up before the spring.

“There are all those sorts of options, but I’m just happy to get him back into work.

“I’m not going to worry about the last 12 months, I’ll just look forward with him.

“At the moment he’s ticking all the boxes, so hopefully he keeps going that way.”