King Charles III’s Horse Gilded Water Debuts at Kembla Grange

The Kembla Grange stand-alone meeting on Saturday will feature a special addition to its card with Gilded Water, a four-year-old gelding owned by His Majesty King Charles III, making his Australian debut. This aristocratic former English galloper is set to compete in the PFD Food Services Handicap (2000m), a benchmark 78 race on the undercard of The Gong.

Trained by Ciaron Maher, Gilded Water is already creating buzz in betting circles, challenging for favouritism at 4.80 USD with TAB Fixed Odds. The gelding lightly raced in the United Kingdom has shown promise with a maiden win at Chepstow in May among his four starts overseas.

Maher expressed pride in training a horse for the King and sharing insights into Gilded Water’s transition to Australian royal horse racing.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to train for His Majesty. He’s a lovely horse who came over in good order”, Maher said. “He had a trial at Warwick Farm and has had a couple of solid pieces of work. He has a low rating, so he carries little weight, and I’m confident he’ll perform well”.

Jockey Jason Collett, who will don the iconic royal silks of purple and gold with scarlet sleeves and a black cap, is also optimistic about Gilded Water’s chances. Having partnered the gelding in a recent trial at Warwick Farm, Collett is impressed with his potential.
“He trialled really nicely over 1200 metres, and although he had a small setback, his fitness and ability to handle 2000 metres shouldn’t be an issue” ,Collett remarked. “It’s an exciting opportunity to ride in the King’s colours, and a win would be particularly special”.

Drawn in barrier four, Gilded Water is the clear second pick behind Alalcance, an import who has not raced since a successful Australian debut at Warwick Farm in September. Early market support for Gilded Water has seen his odds firm from 6 USD to 4.80 USD.

This marks another step in King Charles III’s involvement in royal horse racing, a passion he has continued since the passing of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. While the King’s Australian runners have been few, they have found success, notably with the Chris Waller-trained Chalk Stream which is the winner of the 2023 Listed Australia Day Cup.

With Royal interest and a promising debutant in Gilded Water, the Kembla Grange meeting promises to deliver an intriguing spectacle for racing.