Old marvel Daad’s The Way may have called it a day from the fast and furious pace of life as a racehorse, but fans will still be able to see him strut leisurely onto the tracks on racedays.
Foaled in 2005, Daad's The Way ran his last race in a Class 5 race over 1800m on October 21, 2016, and won it for his 12th career win. With a race record of 12 wins, 13 seconds and 17 thirds, and a total prizemoney of $633,623.63 earned for the Country Rose Stable, he has definitely done his part as a racehorse.
Plans for the 11-year-old’s retirement were in talks between trainer Bruce Marsh and owner Bob Tan for a while. With that loveable and gentle personality of his, they decided a second career as a clerk of the course horse (also known as a starter hack) would suit him to a tee.
“Honestly, it wasn’t always the plan for him (as a clerk of the course horse), but there are not many alternatives he can go for after retirement,” said Marsh.
“It’s either to Malaysia or the Riding School, but he’s just so lovely, and a kind and strong brown horse. He deserves a good time and a good life.
“He was easy to ride as a racehorse, not temperamental, and a very sound horse even till his retirement, no issues whatsoever.
“He’s good with the horses too, and unique as a starter hack since the Club already has many grey horses.”
First trained by New Zealand trainer Stephen Gray, the brown gelding went under fellow Kiwi handler Bruce Marsh’s care in 2012, and has raced competitively for a total of 120 starts in seven years.
That meant, on average, he raced at least once a month, which is impressive as most horses tend to be prone to injuries and sickness, or need longer breaks in between races to regain their form.
Given the many positive qualities Daad’s The Way possessed, it was not surprising to see him lead younger racehorses into the races as early as January this year. Equine Crew Supervisor Ronedin Osman praised the son of Istidaad as “gifted” for the role of a starter hack.
“He officially joined as a clerk of the course horse on November 17 last year. As of now, he has come out for duties for more than a month already,” said Ronedin, who oversees the overall training of the nine clerk of the course horses and their raceday schedules at the Singapore Turf Club.
“He settled down very fast into his new position. Rosli (Ahmad) rides him the most, and he gets along very well with other riders and horses too. We have eight other retired thoroughbreds, six greys, one chestnut (Vassilakos) and one bay (Giggler) horse.
“We got feedback from the trainer and jockey about Daad’s The Way, and we assessed him before he was accepted.
“Good temperament is the number one criterion, and the retired horse must also generally be in good health. He must be able to train with other horses, and we do not want any puller either.
“Because they were once racehorses, they would have the urge to run, so credit to the riders who take time to train and guide the retired thoroughbreds.”
According to Ronedin, one does not require special training to become a clerk of the course horse, but these horses still walk, trot and swim two to three times a week, focusing on light work.
On each raceday, three horses will be on duty, with two in front leading the competition pack, and one at the tail to ensure all runners move onto the tracks smoothly. Daad’s The Way may have learned the ropes quickly, but Rosli pointed out that he still needed time to adjust to his new identity.
“When horses need company to the barriers, they will act as lead ponies to accompany them,” explained Rosli.
“He picked things up very fast as a starter hack, but when he accompanies a winner on the way back to the winner’s stall, he can still get a bit excited.”
The good news is, unlike a racehorse, there is no age limit to which a clerk of the course horse can work up to, for as long as they are healthy. For Daad’s The Way’s adoring fans, that would most likely mean a longer time to see their idol at the races.
