The 1300m 2023 Giga Kick Stakes is also known as The 2023 Winners Stakes. For the purposes of this preview to the 2023 Giga Kick Stakes, we will refer to the feature race as such. However, sometimes it will be necessary to mention the 2023 Giga Kick Stakes as its alternate name, the 2023 Winners Stakes.
The 2023 Giga Kick Stakes is a fixed weight feature racethat will be run at Rosehill Racecourse on Saturday the 4th of November 2023. The race is also known as the Winners Stakes as I have mentioned, and its moniker will change annually to honour The Everest winner from the previous year. The Everest, as Australia’s most lucrative race has influenced many other Group 1 Australian races to either offer their competitors and connections more prize money or has created new Group 1 races such as this 2023 Giga Kick Stakes (Winners Stakes) altogether.
Typically run on the same day as the Victoria Derby, the 2023 Giga Kick Stakes has fast become one of Racing New South Wales’s most exciting races. With a $3 million prize pool on offer and a guaranteed spot in the Golden Eagle, the 2023 Giga Kick Stakes (Winner Stakes) is expected to draw a strong field of sprinters and middle-distance pros.
Numerous top class Group 1 thoroughbred contenders are anticipated to show out at Rosehill Racecourse on the 4th of November 2023.As I mentioned, the 2023 Giga Kick Stakes is a new race that sits alongside the Bondi Stakes, Rosehill Gold Cup, Silver Eagle, and Golden Eagle in a slew of new Racing New South Wales races that benefits from the absurd increase in total prize money contributed by the state racing body.
The Everest is a potential reliable form indicator for speciality sprinters hoping to win both events, so be sure to keep an eye out for Australia’s richest race for some indication on who will impress in the 2023 Giga Kick Stakes. Also keep in mind there will be 16 runners in the 2023 Giga Kick Stakes (Winner Stakes).
So be sure to keep your calendar free on Saturday the 4th of November 2023 so you can tune in to the 2023 Giga Kick Stakes at Rosehill Racecourse.
Also be sure to check out our OnlyRacing Tips page on the week of the race for a full slate of analysis and picks for not just the 2023 Giga Kick Stakes (Winners Stakes) feature race, but also the entire meet at Rosehill Racecourse on the 4th of November 2023.
Who is Giga Kick? More Information on the Namesake of the 2023 Giga Kick Stakes (Winners Stakes)
Giga Kick competed in his first race, a novice 1100m competition at Sale Racecourse on February 13th, 2022. Having taken the lead the entire way, it was an extremely impressive outing that saw Giga Kick triumph on debut.After that, he spent 18 weeks resting as per the wishes of his connections.
After two trials following this 4 month break, Giga Kick came back to Flemington Racecourseon July 16th, 2022. Matthew Cartwright, the jockey on that day in 2022 at Flemington Racecourse commented that he, "capitalised on Giga Kick's natural speed before the promising sprinter dashed clear to score impressively" in order to place the chestnut coloured steed close to the lead early. "The idea to have him in early was that he's only had the one run and he's going to be meeting some pretty experienced horses throughout the spring," trainer Clayton Douglas explained. It was therefore unavoidable that the emphasis of this run would be on getting Giga Kick ready for the bigger races to come.
Clayton Douglas benefited from Giga Kick’s natural prowess in his first victory in a stakes event asthe ever impressive Giga Kick won the Group 3 Vain Stakes after that second trial. He was five lengths down at the bend before winning by a long head. Douglas noted, "He is still an immature type," following the race. However, if Giga Kick’s trainer sees immaturity in a Group 3 win from 5 lengths down, it shows there is plenty of room to grow.
On October 1st, 2022, Giga Kick won the Danehill Stakes. From the 300-meter point until the finish line, it seemed as though Buenos Noches was putting pressure on him and was going to pip Giga Kick past the post, however legendary jockey Craig Williams hung on to win by a nose. After the impressive victory, Williams was quoted saying “apart from the fact that he is unbeaten, there is a lot that we and I will gain from today's experience with this horse.”
The Everest, Australia's most lucrative horse race, was won by Giga Kick two weeks later. The odds-on favourite, Nature Strip, the winner from the previous year, saw its odds increase dramatically once Giga Kick was named to start in Australia’s richest race. He did not disappoint and produced an explosive finish to reel in his much older and more experiencedcompetitors with 400 metres left.
Having won the 2022 Everest, Giga Kick now benefits from having the Winners Stakes named after him. What has started as an awesome tradition in 2019, is now one of Racing New South Wales’ most lucrative races. Be sure to tune in to Rosehill Racecourse on the 4th of November 2023 to see a spectacle of a race.
