There aren’t enough horsemen like Cranbourne’s Gavin Bedggood.
Smart with their horses and where they sit in the pecking order and the perfect example of that was Kingswood in the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.
The Christmas Group 1 over the Tasman offered opportunity, and Bedggood took it with the son of Roaring Lion.
“Listening to the radio and watching the TV, there were plenty of knockers,” he said after Kingswood 1-1/2 length triumph.
“I am a realist, he is not top echelon in Melbourne, but he is a bloody good B-grader.”
“I think on his day in Melbourne he would be competitive in an Australian Cup (Gr.1, 2000m).”
“It is good to be vindicated, and it makes the decision worthwhile coming over.”
Kingswood will look for more New Zealand Group 1 glory in the coming months and perhaps a stud deal beyond the track.
“He can have a week in the paddock and can probably hang around for the Herbie Dyke and Bonecrusher now I think,” Bedggood said.
He planned the coup for months, but when he lost regular jockey John Allen because of suspension, he had to find the right replacement.
Again, Bedggood’s decision-making proved to be on point as Rory Hutchings produced a perfectly timed mid-race move that gave him the winning buffer.
“It wasn’t in our plan book to be where we were,” Hutchings said.
“They just kept getting slower and slower up the hill and I thought we were not going to be able to peg back horses like El Vencedor and Legarto that were a lot closer to the speed running at three-quarter pace mid-stage in the Zabeel Classic.
“When I went, I made sure I went really quick. I had a lap full of horse when I did it, and I knew I caught them napping.”
“He went from 0 to 100 in one stride and he sustained that all the way to the winning post. That is a trait of a very good horse.”
Bedggood gave credit to his jockey for the Group 1.
“100m after the start I thought we were cast,” he said. “We weren’t where we wanted to be, they didn’t go quick.”
“Watching the race unfold I was working out how I was going to explain this, we were going to look like mugs.”
“Fair play to Rory, what a ride. It was a ballsy ride to take off like he did. I just said the horse needed to be in a spot where he needs to build his revs.”
“He is not a sit-and-sprint horse, and it was well executed.”
“He had to do something because where he was, riding for luck wasn’t an option.”
“It wasn’t going to suit the horse the way the race was panning out. Full credit to him, it was the difference between winning and getting beaten.”
