Jockey Brad Rawiller is confident Living The Dream can deliver trainer Rob Gulberti a third Darwin Cup (2050m) in four years, following his win in the Metric Mile (1600m) on Saturday.
Living The Dream enjoyed a cosy run behind race leader Starouz in the $50,000 event and was too classy over the concluding stages.
It gave Gulberti a second win in the Metric Mile, after he won the race with Ihtsahymn in 2019 prior to his first Darwin Cup win.
Ihtsahymn then ran second in the race in 2020 ahead of his second Darwin Cup triumph.
Brad Rawiller said Living The Dream, the highest rated of the 22 runners nominated for the Darwin Cup, was more than capable of a repeat performance next Monday.
“He will only be better suited,” Rawiller told TABradio.
“He’s in good order and he looked great.
“It wasn’t a gut-buster either, that’s what I enjoyed most about what unfolded for me on Saturday.
“In eight days time the horse should only be better again and be super hard to beat.”
It was the six-year-old’s first start since he was unplaced in last October’s Northam Cup (1600m).
While Living The Dream got off to a winning start in Darwin, the same couldn’t be said for stablemate Isola Bay, who finished second to Flying Start in the Samsung TROBIS three-year-old Handicap (1200m).
Rawiller said he a slow start cost Isola Bay but was pleased enough with the effort.
“He was good,” he said.
“The winner came from behind us, so we had our chance.
“I still feel we could’ve run a little closer to the winner if we had have gotten away cleanly.”
