The oldest and the best is what trainer David Brideoake is hoping for with Daka's Gem.The nine-year-old is the elder statesman of the field in Saturday's Group Three Easter Cup at Caulfield and if experience counts, he has to be hard to beat.A veteran of 83 starts, he has been to the races almost twice as often as the next most frequent, seven-year-old Blutigeroo with 43 starts, while Renewable (13), Miss Maren (16) and Just Look (17) are the new kids on the block."He's a marvellous old horse an
The oldest and the best is what trainer David Brideoake is hoping for with Daka's Gem.
The nine-year-old is the elder statesman of the field in Saturday's Group Three Easter Cup at Caulfield and if experience counts, he has to be hard to beat.
A veteran of 83 starts, he has been to the races almost twice as often as the next most frequent, seven-year-old Blutigeroo with 43 starts, while Renewable (13), Miss Maren (16) and Just Look (17) are the new kids on the block.
"He's a marvellous old horse and every time he goes around he gives you a run for your money," Brideoake said.
Daka's Gem is a noted wet tracker and after a campaign that included victory in the Ballarat Cup last November has come back better than ever.
The distance was unsuitable but he still finished third to Pinnacles when he resumed over 1400 metres last month at Caulfield and last start was third to Raffaello over 1700 metres.
Brideoake is more hopeful than confident Daka's Gem can turn the tables on Raffaello despite meeting him five kilos better at the weights.
"Raffaello won with a leg in the air the other day so we'll need all of that (weight advantage) this time to have any chance of beating him," Brideoake said.
He said Daka's Gem, who has won 15 races and $680,000, was working up to the Listed Warrnambool Cup (2350m) on May 7.
"The Easter Cup is the perfect race time-wise heading to Warrnambool and I expect him to highly competitive on Saturday," Brideoake said.
"He is going through a terrific preparation and he is a terrific horse when the ground has got cut in it."
Brideoake said that after the Warrnambool Cup, Daka's Gem could head north for the Brisbane Cup (2400m) in June.
"We are leaving that open as a possibility," Brideoake said.
Sydney-bound stayers Ista Kareem and The Wolverine have already been scratched from the Easter Cup which now has only 10 runners.
Ista Kareem will contest the Chairman's Handicap (2600m) at Randwick on Saturday while The Wolverine will run in the Octagonal Handicap (1600m) on the same program.