Trainer Greg Hickman has shown another string to his bow with evergreen eight-year-old Epic Dan.
Taking over a horse in the twilight of its career is a tough assignment but Greg Hickman has managed to cajole the best out of veteran Epic Dan, who lines up for start number 69 at Rosehill on Saturday.
The gelding arrived at his stable as a seven-year-old who had struggled to win in metropolitan grade.
Epic Dan has since raced 21 times for the Warwick Farm horseman for three city victories, including a Canterbury win two starts ago, banking close to $140,000 for his owners in an 18-month period.
“He came to us as a seven-year-old and he’s a marvel,” Hickman said.
“It’s an enormous effort for a horse his age.”
Hickman said the key to Epic Dan’s late-career run was managing his niggling issues and striking some rain-affected tracks at the right time.
“You just look after his aches and pain, that’s the main thing with horses,” he said.
“We have had the rain at the right time and basically, I think our training just suits him.”
With Flat Heaven an early scratching, Epic Dan will be one of 10 runners in Saturday’s Acy Securities Handicap (1200m) and given he has posted eight of his 14 wins on wet tracks, Hickman is hoping Rosehill stays in the soft range.
The Chris Waller-trained Blondeau is an even money favourite for the race on the strength of his powerhouse return at the Gosford stand-alone meeting when he trounced his opposition by more than three lengths.
