Kingswood Headlines Busy Weekend for Bedggood

Kristen Manning

Editor

Last updated: Fri 06 Feb 2026 01:59

Kristen Manning 06 Feb 2026

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Gavin Bedggood aims for second Group 1 win with Kingswood in Herbie Dyke Stakes.
Hedged leads Bedggood's Caulfield lineup, racing in the Rubiton Stakes.
Bedggood's extensive career includes significant victories in jumps racing.

Kingswood targets further Group 1 success in New Zealand for trainer Gavin Bedggood. (Getty)

A busy weekend looms for Cranbourne trainer Gavin Bedggood, who seeks further Group 1 glory for his tough campaigner Kingswood in New Zealand on Saturday.

While that horse attempts to make it two big wins in a row — on the back of his Zabeel Classic success — heading to Te Rapa to contest the Herbie Dyke Stakes, Gavin also has seven horses racing closer to home at Caulfield.

He has been delighted with the progress of the six-year-old Kingswood since his Boxing Day success.

“He is flying, he is very well. We’ve given him a few trips away from home for gallops to try to keep him stimulated, which seems to have worked. Barrier 1 is not ideal, but that’s up to our jockey to worry about!”

The stable’s Caulfield day kicks off in race six with the enigmatic Hedged, who starts favourite in the Group 2 Rubiton Stakes with Harry Coffey aboard.

A winner of the Listed Christmas Stakes and the Group 2 Australia Stakes, with an uninspiring second last at Flemington in between, Hedged can put in the occasional head-scratcher, but Coffey noted at Pakenham that he is a horse who does best in clear air.

“He has been a hard horse to follow,” Gavin said, “but he has trained on well and if he has even luck in running from the inside barrier, he will be hard to beat.”

Gavin saddles up two horses in the following race, the Group 3 Kevin Heffernan Stakes, with Hughes and Jennilala both at healthy odds and facing a rise in class.

“Hughes put in a great run last start — an eye-catching and unlucky second in the Listed Barton Stakes — but does need to go to a new level here. Jennilala is another who can be hard to follow, but her best form sees her competitive.”

Raced in the same ownership, the unbeaten Jenni The Ninja is second favourite in the Group 3 Peter Le Grand Stakes, her first crack at black-type level.

“The barrier (nine) dents her chances, but she is a nice progressive filly who has trained on well from her win at Flemington.”

The Group 3 MRC Foundation Cup (the T.S. Carlyon Cup) is another race in which Gavin has two runners. Both — Casino Seventeen and Charterhouse — are roughies, but the trainer is happy with them.

“Charterhouse trialled well on Monday, which prepped him up nicely, and he will run well at the price. Casino Seventeen is mapped to get a soft run on the back of the speed and he normally races well fresh.”

Rounding off Gavin’s big day is another at double-figure odds, Presser, looking to atone for a “luckless” run in the Camperdown Cup. The seven-year-old has been in consistent form, but his trainer is wary of his rivals, noting that “he will need to run up to his best.”

Starting his equine journey as a child at pony club, Gavin spent school holidays working at the Robbie Griffiths stable, going on to learn as much as he could from the likes of Robbie Laing, Peter Healey, David Brideoake, Ken Newman and David Racovolis.

Kicking home 35 winners over two seasons riding the picnic circuit, Gavin took out his jumps riding licence in 2005 and went on to prove himself one of Victoria’s best riders.

He rode over the jumps and the sticks for 12 years, winning a number of features including the famed Grand Annual at Warrnambool, as well as that May carnival’s Brierly Steeplechase. The Von Doussa at Oakbank is also on his résumé, as are three runnings of the Australian Steeplechase.

His Grand Annual win came aboard the infamous Banna Strand, who two years earlier had made worldwide headlines with his leap into the crowd and over a police car’s bonnet.

The horse was well known for those exploits, but Bedggood has only fond memories of the galloper who not only gave him one of his biggest wins but who sticks in his mind for his personality.

“Banna Strand, aka ‘Eric’, was a gentleman. He was quiet, great to ride and just a lovely animal.”

Representing Australia in international jumps racing competitions, Bedggood won in Ireland, chuckling as he recalled that the Downpatrick racecourse was “like a roller coaster!”