Gavin Bedggood will resist the temptation to add to his New Zealand raiding party, despite enjoying G1 success over the ditch with Kingswood last month.
Bedggood doubled his G1 tally when the entire won the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day and, while that horse will remain in New Zealand ahead of another feature race tilt next month, several others that were slated to join him won’t make the trip.
The Cranbourne trainer had considered sending last-start Lord Stakes runner-up St Lawrence and Sandown Cup winner Diwali to New Zealand as well but has decided both horses will remain at home.
“I’m not happy with St Lawrence,” Bedggood said.
“There was an option for him to head over there on Saturday evening but I’m going to reserve that.”
“I would’ve liked to have taken Diwali over for the Wellington and Auckland Cups but the more I thought about it, Wellington is a 10-hour drive from where you get off the plane so it’s just too much travel.”
“I might try to get him ready for an Adelaide Cup.”
Kingswood returned to work at his temporary base at Pukekohe on Tuesday after a freshen-up following his Zabeel Classic win.
Bedggood said he will be prepared for next month’s G1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa under the watchful eye of his regular trackrider.
The G1 Bonecrusher Stakes in March is also on the six-year-old’s radar.
“He had 10 days in the paddock post the Zabeel Classic and he commenced training again this morning,” he said.
“He’s staying at Pukekohe with a trainer called Mike Rogers and Jasmine, my step daughter, flew over there yesterday afternoon to look after him.”
“Jasmine rides him in all his trackwork at home so she’s well equipped to know what needs to be done.”
“He’ll trial at Pukekohe on the 20th (of January) and then he’ll run at Te Rapa in the Herbie Dyke Stakes on the 7th of February.”
