Encouraged by the win at Canterbury this week of debutante Miss Que, Joe Pride’s attention has turned to a stable veteran at Rosehill.
While Wednesay’s Miss Que looks to have a bright future ahead, Destiny’s Kiss has been there, run that, and shows no sign of slowing down. Age has not wearied the eight-year-old gelding.
“He is a marvellous old horse,” Pride said.
Destiny’s Kiss races for the 67th time at Rosehill in the Kensei Handicap (2000m) on Saturday and after a cursory medical examination this week there seems no likelihood of him heading to pasture in the near future.
“The vet was saying ‘I don’t think I’ve ever had to fix this horse up’,” Pride said.
“He’s made out of steel. He’s just evergreen. He never gets tired of doing it. He’s so sound. He’s just a remarkably consistent horse.”
Destiny’s Kiss began his career in August 2011 and arrived in Sydney from Robert Smerdon’s Melbourne stable in late 2012 but Pride never suspected he would still be putting in more than four years later.
The gelding cleared the seven-figure barrier when he won the Listed Australia Day Cup (2400m) at Randwick in January for the second successive year.
Destiny’s Kiss made his black-type debut for Smerdon in the 2012 Cranbourne Cup and won the Listed Winter Cup under Pride nine months later.
“To have a horse of that kind of durability, it’s a fantastic advertisement for horse ownership,” Pride said.
“Some of these horses nowadays are retired so early. It’s such a shame people don’t get a chance to follow their favourite horse. If you’re a Destiny’s Kiss fan you’ve been able to back him for years.
“There’s a lot to be said for that. Unfortunately in Sydney we base our racing on two and three year-olds, moving horses through the grades and moving them on.”
A home-bred for Nick Moraitis, Destiny’s Kiss opened this preparation with a ninth at Rosehill on June 3 over 1400m and Pride said the step up in distance and wet track would be in his favour but 61.5kg was not.
“The handicappers have been pretty good with him but lumping that might be a bit much,” he said.
Pride resisted the temptation to engage a claiming apprentice and Tye Angland takes the ride.
