Kingswood primed for Underwood Stakes challenge

The journey for Kingswood has been remarkable since he joined Gavin Bedggood's training establishment.

Beginning his racing career in Ireland, Kingswood spent time with Maddie Raymond in Warrnambool before moving to the Bedggood stable in mid-2024. He immediately impressed, winning his initial two starts at Caulfield, including the Coongy Cup (2000m).

Fast forward to the latter part of 2026, and Bedggood took a chance, sending Kingswood to New Zealand, where he secured a prestigious Group 1 victory at Ellerslie.

Fresh off a win in the Heatherlie Stakes (1700m) at Caulfield last month, where he defeated stablemate Just Folk, Kingswood is now set for his inaugural Group 1 assignment on home soil in the Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield this Saturday.

While also entered for the Naturalism Stakes (2000m) on Saturday's card, Bedggood maintained that the Underwood was always the primary objective. "I threw in a nom for the Naturalism in case something happened," Bedggood explained. "He's as good as I could have him and he's improved from his first-up run and I suppose Saturday will be a good test to see where he sits against that calibre of horse."

Kingswood has drawn the widest barrier in the field of seven runners, a field reduced by the withdrawal of Aeliana, who remains in Sydney to compete in the 7 Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.

Bedggood indicated that Kingswood was sufficiently fit to perform well in the Heatherlie Stakes and believes the horse has benefited further from that run. "He was pretty screwed down first-up but with improvement to come," Bedggood commented. "He definitely hasn't regressed. His coat has improved and his last two Monday mornings have been great, so I wouldn't swap my horse for any other in the race."

The outcome of Saturday's race will likely influence the decision for either the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 3 or the Might And Power (2000m) at Caulfield a week later.

Kingswood has been allocated 55kg for the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 17, placing him 20th in the ballot order following the release of weights on Thursday. The Cox Plate (2000m) at Flemington on October 24 remains a possibility.

"Everything is on the table at the moment, but his next two runs will tell us where we sit," Bedggood advised. "My gut feeling tells me he's not sharp enough at 10 furlongs for a Cox Plate."

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