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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Clayton Douglas knows there’s expectation around the return to Randwick of TAB Everest hero Giga Kick on Saturday but is comfortable in saying the star three-year-old won’t let him down.

Trainer Clayton Douglas and jockey Craig Williams. (Pic: Steve Hart)

Long term Douglas wants to be back to defend his Everest crown in October but the immediate goal is to end Nature Strip’s dominance of the Group 1 $3m TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) on Day 1 of The Star Championships.

An important stepping stone to that race is Saturday’s Group 2 $500,000 Hyland Race Colours Challenge Stakes (1000m) where two-time defending champ Eduardo will provide Giga Kick and jockey Craig Williams with a target to chase down.

“We have a lot of respect for Eduardo, he’s going to be up and rocking along early,’’ Douglas said.

“As long as we’re not standing him up a ridiculous margin we will be right in the finish.

“It’s going to be a fast run 1000m, as long as we can get away cleanly and put ourselves in a good position we will be there to stalk late.

“He’s had a pretty good preparation leading into this first-up run. I’ve always said we’re not going to shy away from a challenge so we’re looking forward to it.

“We’ve got to be on our game but he’s very talented and whatever we do we’ll be running well.”

Giga Kick was $2.40 favourite in the Challenge on Thursday and is equal favourite at $6 alongside Nature Strip and In Secret for the TJ Smith – so all eyes are on how the three-year-old has come back.

Of course Giga Kick was unbeaten when he took out the Everest but he lost that record in the Champions Sprint in November as he was beaten three-quarters of a length by Roch ‘N’ Horse.

“He was pretty unlucky that day, he got held up and it was a pretty messy race,’’ Douglas said.

“To be beaten three quarters of a length he went super.”

Douglas has given Giga Kick two trials, one a public gallop where he split Black Caviar Lightning winner Coolangatta and runner-up I Wish I Win at Cranbourne on February 6 then a jump out at Balnarring a couple of weeks later which the trainer described as a solid hitout.

“He trialled near the outside fence and I was happy with how he trialled, he had a good run to the line and he’s pretty forward for his first-up run,’’ he said.

“I think he has come back in really good order. He’s pretty well weighted for a 110 rater with 56kg.

“We’ll be looking to go back to the Everest in the spring and trying to knock that off again.

“The TJ is his main goal at this stage and there are other options after that but we will see how he comes through it and make that assessment.”

Godolphin trainer James Cummings is playing the underdog card in the Challenge with last start Group 1 winner Paulele despite a record of five wins from seven starts at Randwick.

The chestnut broke through for his first win at the top level in the Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) in Perth late in the spring and as a consequence didn’t have a long break.

Giga Kick's TAB Everest win in October

“He’s got an excellent fresh record having won first-up in the past,’’ Cummings said on SEN.

“He did return from his campaign on the Western front fighting fit and we gave him a reprieve on the foot of the blue mountains which he enjoyed.

“But he didn’t enjoy it too much and we didn’t give him too long. Had he come up against slightly easier opposition I would have been supremely confident.”

James McDonald rides Paulele, whose only Randwick defeats resulted in thirds in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes behind Nature Strip and in the Group 2 Arrowfield Sprint behind Mazu on heavy tracks back in the autumn.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Randwick meeting