Bedggood's Caulfield Cup debut with Kingswood

Trainer Gavin Bedggood is on the cusp of a significant career moment with his first runner in a 'major' race at Caulfield.

While he boasts Group 1 victories and placings to his name, Kingswood's upcoming run in the Caulfield Cup (2400m) this Saturday will be his first in this elite tier.

The esteemed 'majors' are recognised as the Caulfield Cup, Melbourne Cup, Cox Plate, and Golden Slipper, with The Everest now also frequently included in this category.

It's a fitting coincidence that the Caulfield Cup serves as Bedggood's inaugural 'major' race, given his early experiences riding trackwork at the venue.

"I rode work there as a kid when I was 16 years old," Bedggood stated.

"And I grew up at Cranbourne and remember horses like Sky Heights walking around of a morning, and that would be one of my first memories of the Caulfield Cup. It's exciting to be a part of it."

Kingswood is heading into Saturday's prestigious event in impressive recent form.

He commenced his campaign with a win in the Heatherlie Stakes (1700m), followed by two fourth-place finishes at weight-for-age – the Underwood Stakes and last week's Might And Power.

Bedggood has confirmed that the preparation for the race has been smooth sailing.

"It's been a faultless campaign," Bedggood commented.

"He hasn't had a bad blood, he hasn't had an unsound day. We've run in all the races we've wanted to along the way and this has been the Grand Final that we've picked. He knew he'd had a run Sunday morning after the Might And Power, but we were very happy on Tuesday. What will be, will be."

Kingswood is expected to start from the second-outermost barrier on Saturday, provided no emergencies are withdrawn.

Bedggood acknowledged the wide draw is less than ideal but noted it could allow the entire to be ridden more conservatively, a departure from his forward tactics in his last couple of starts.

"He's gone forward by default at his last two starts," Bedggood explained.

"He's drawn wide in small fields with a lack of tempo on paper and he's been left there, whereas first-up he was third or fourth pair back. He's on trial at a mile-and-a-half (2400m), so we'll just want to let the speed go, find a good spot, midfield or second half, get a good resting run and hopefully he'll be there at the finish."

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