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On any given day, a winning hat-trick by Michael Rodd or any other jockey for that matter would take the honours, but the Australian jockey would not mind the least bit if the accolades are instead bestowed upon the third pin of his riding treble, veteran campaigner Daad’s The Way.
Old stagers do win races every now and then, that’s nothing exceptional when it comes to longevity among racehorses. Maybe not as many 11-year-olds, though, with Lucky Sun one of the few exceptions from recent memory, but anecdote hunters would be hard-pushed to find one who has won two races in the space of two months.
Daad's The Way landed his 11th win on August 12 in a Class 5 race over 1700m, and a little over two months later, the hardy gelding has pulled off the same age-defying feat, this time in Friday’s $35,000 Class 5 race over 1800m.
Again, the son of Istidaad dropped to the rear, but Rodd had to get on his bike much earlier this time, as opposed to the first win when they flew in from last off fast sectionals.
Grinding away on the outside, Daad’s The Way swung for home the widest, and Rodd had to earn every cent of his riding fee to keep his mount switched on and hanging on in workmanlike fashion to his slender advantage all the way to the line.
Daad’s The Way ($45) went on to beat Dragon G (Danny Beasley) by half-a-length with Big Banker (Olivier Placais), finding daylight late to run third another short head away. The winning time was 1min 54.1secs for the 1800m journey on the Polytrack.
As ecstatic as Rodd and winning trainer Bruce Marsh were after that 12th win, it could well be his swan song.
“I’ll speak to his owner Bob Tan (of Country Rose Stable), nothing’s been decided yet, but that could be his last run,” said Marsh.
“I know I said the same thing at his last win, but he’s run three times again. The horse is sound but he owes us nothing and it would be nice for him to end his career on a winning note.
“It’s been a great pleasure to train a horse like Daad’s The Way. He’s never given us any worries, of course he’s old and gets a bit lazy and that’s why I trial him quite often just to sharpen him up, but he’s been a real gem.
“We will miss him if he retires, but I think he will make a great clerk of the course horse. He’s got the right temperament for it and if that is the case, we will still see him around the track.”
An ebullient Rodd,who has been aboard Daad’s The Way at his last three starts, including that August 12 win, could not stop raving about his “old marvel” the moment he jumped off, and also admitted to not giving him one of his better rides at his last start.
“I made a mistake at his last start. I rode him too close and he was in an awkward position; he hates that,” said the Australian jockey whose two other winners of the night were favourite Sacred Crown and $307 roughie Ocean De Lago.
“They went very quick tonight. At first, I thought I wouldn’t touch him and not test him too early, but I had to give him a slap, and another one to keep him going.
“I actually had to work hard on him the whole race. I was only able to let him rest for a furlong when he tacked on at the 1000m.
“Once I took him to the outside, he started to work home quite well, but the rest were not doing great either. I thought ‘don’t you dare stop on me,’ but he is hard fit and he did a great job to get there.
“What an old marvel!”
Daad’s The Way has now taken his stunning record to 12 wins, 13 seconds and 17 thirds from 120 starts for stakes earnings past the $620,000 mark for the Country Rose Stable.