Kingman sets sights on bigger targets after successful NZ raid

NEXT stop Victoria for harness racing’s hottest property.

Kingman (Always B Miki) capped the most amazing five weeks when he cruised to victory in last night’s (Friday) $NZ125,000 Group 1 Christian Cullen at Addington.

It came just 10 days after he scored one of the greatest wins in the history of the iconic $NZ1 million NZ Cup at the same track.

Go back to October 18 and Kingman gunned-down Leap To Fame to win the $250,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup.

If you go back another two weeks, that’s when it all really started when he comfortably ran down dual NZ Cup winner Swayzee at Menangle.

“Now he’s heading home,” trainer-driver Luke McCarthy said. “He’s thrived over here and done a fantastic job.

“When we came here, we decided we wouldn’t do Brisbane as well, so he’s back to Sydney for a freshen-up and then we’ll head to Melbourne.”

McCarthy said the plan was to the tackle the $75,000 Group 2 Bendigo Cup on January 10, the first of six legs in the Summer of Glory.

“We’ll go to the first two (legs) and work out the rest from there,” he said.

The second leg is the $50,000 Group 3 Shepparton Gold Cup on January 17.

Although McCarthy has always liked Kingman, he admits being in awe of the development he’s made over the past two months.

“It’s all come together quickly, but he is still learning as you’ve seen here (Addington),” he said.

“Once he found the front (last night) he always felt in control. I gave him as easier time as possible.”

Kingman won by four metres in a scorching 1min55.6sec mile rate for the long 2600m trip.

Kingman was the lone Aussie winner at last night’s stellar Addington Group 1 night with young Victorian trotters Tracy The Jet and Gatesys Gem having to settle for minor placings.

After an early burn to lead, Tracy The Jet looked the winner on the home turn in the Group 1 NZ Trotting Oaks, but couldn’t hold off the strong late finish along the sprint lane from Dash Dosh for trainer Tom Bagrie and driver Blair Orange.

That said, Dash Dosh won by a head with a huge 12 lengths away to Request in third spot.

Glenn Hunter’s Gatesys Gem followed her second to Tracy The Jet in last week’s The Ascent with a fighting third in last night’s Group 1 NZ Trotting Derby.

Like Kingman, Tracy The Jet and Gatesys Gem are returning home in coming days.

Leap To Fame arrived home late this week and likely to bypass next Saturday night’s $75,000 Group 2 Sunshine Sprint and go straight into a title defence in the $250,000 Group 1 Blacks A Fake a week later.

by Adam Hamilton for Harness Racing Australia