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By Ray Hickson

A TAB Everest defence is the major 2023 goal for trainer Clayton Douglas and his star three-year-old Giga Kick but if he runs out a strong 1400m at Randwick on Saturday it opens more options for the new season.

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

Douglas said the Group 1 $1.5m Schweppes All Aged Stakes (1400m) is no afterthought on the back of his gallant second behind I Wish I Win in the TJ Smith Stakes two weeks ago.

The gelding is showing Douglas nothing to suggest he can’t stretch his brilliance out a bit further and if he can it makes a race like the $10m Golden Eagle (1500m) a post-Everest option.

“The horse has done really well since the TJ so we’ve got no reason to think he won’t run well,’’ Douglas said.

“I’m really happy with him, he’s had a good preparation.

"There’s a bit of stoutness in the pedigree to suggest he should be running a mile and this is a nice stepping stone third-up to the 1400m.

“I wouldn’t think we will see him past that at any stage soon, we’ll dip the toe in the water and see how we go. Our main target is the Everest and whatever he does after that is a bonus.”

Among Giga Kick’s family is Cox Plate placegetter Rekindled Interest, his dam’s brother.

Douglas said the considerably heavy conditions in the TJ Smith weren’t in his horse’s favour but it was an illustration of his class that he was able to go with I Wish I Win until the last 100m so he hopes Randwick is in the soft range for Saturday.

“Zac (Purton) got off and said his class took him that far into the race, he was okay in the ground but didn’t love it,’’ he said.

“That real testing track the other day might have told. He was impeded a bit through the run and didn’t get comfortable in his rhythm so hopefully we can get him flowing through the first 600m and if that’s the case he’ll be running very well.”

Giga Kick was $3 favourite with TAB on Thursday for the Group 1 and he’s sharing top spot at $6 in the all-in TAB Everest market.

Craig Williams is back on board the gelding in the All Aged having recovered from injury and Douglas is more than happy to entrust the jockey with plotting the right path from an awkward alley.

“We’ve been in discussion with Craig a bit and if all going well after the TJ the plan was to try him in a race like this. He’s been all for it,’’ he said.

“They’ve still got to do it but I’m pretty confident he’ll run a nice 1400m.

“I still feel like he will come on again after this preparation. He has development to come, it’s scary to think he’s only an autumn three-year-old.

“Hopefully he can keep proving he’s one of the top horses in the country.”

Fellow three-year-old Jacquinot re-emerges after a forgive run in the Australian Guineas and co-trainer Michael Kent Jnr is hoping the weather holds for what will likely be the colt’s local swansong.

He had a spin on the polytrack at Randwick on April 3, running second in a trial, and Kent Jnr said on Sky Sports Radio that gallop was deliberately conservative.

“Whenever they are on the poly we keep them out of the kickback, so back and wide and just on the bridle,’’ he said.

Giga Kick runs second in the TJ Smith on April 1

“He pulled up well and he galloped very well on Tuesday morning by himself.”

Jacquinot, the Golden Rose winner from the spring, won the Group 3 Manfred Stakes (1300m) first-up and claimed the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m) on protest.

“We’re delighted with him. A real sweet spot I think is 1400m for the horse,’’ he said.

“We’re going to watch the track, if it was going to be heavy we’d have a serious chat about it.”

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