Currawood aiming for redemption at Caulfield Heath

Gavin Bedggood, a trainer with a knack for developing horses that previously raced in Ireland, is optimistic that a firmer Caulfield Heath track will benefit his latest charge.

The trainer has seen success with horses like Earlswood and Kingswood, both of whom commenced their careers in Ireland before joining his stable. Currawood is the latest addition to this group.

Owned by Glyn and Jane Davies, all three horses share the same ownership and began their racing journeys in Ireland before being brought to Australia.

Earlswood, initially trained by Maddie Raymond in Warrnambool, achieved a victory on his Australian debut in the Group 3 Carlyon Cup at Caulfield.

Following a period of inconsistent form, Earlswood was moved to Bedggood's stable, where he won the Gold Nugget at Ballarat. Around the same time, Kingswood also joined the Cranbourne-based trainer.

Bedggood guided Kingswood from a benchmark 78 win at Sandown to secure the Coongy Stakes at Caulfield and, more recently, achieved Group 1 success in New Zealand.

Currawood is nominated for the benchmark 84 handicap over 1500 metres at Caulfield Heath this Saturday, which will represent the gelding's second start on Australian soil.

In his first Australian run, Currawood encountered unsuitable wet conditions, finishing near the tail over 1400 metres at Sandown on July 15.

Bedggood anticipates a significant improvement on Saturday, with expectations of better weather later in the week.

"He's a chance to get good ground, and he can definitely turn that performance around," said Bedggood.

"He came to Australia with solid form. He'd had eight starts for two wins and six placings, mostly in Stakes races over in Ireland, so he's running in his right sort of race."

"He's in the same ownership as those other horses, but I don't know if he's as good as them, but he's come out here in similar form."

"He probably doesn't want rock hard ground, probably similar to what they were, but some give the ground."

"I would think he's going to get a perfect surface to bounce back on Saturday."

While the step up in distance is minor, Bedggood believes it will be beneficial. At this stage, given Currawood's current rating, the trainer is not aiming for overly ambitious targets.

"I just want to try and run him through his grades and get him to win a race before we sort of get too aggressive in our placement with him," Bedggood explained.

Consider the betting markets for the Caulfield Heath race at online bookmakers this Saturday.