When Shelby Sixtysix grabbed Gr 1 glory in the 2022 Galaxy, trainer Danny Williams was confident he had another one at home likely to tread a similar path. He thought enough of an immature two year old called Bandi’s Boy to run him first up in the Gr 3 Kindergarten Stakes at Randwick, and wasn’t disappointed when he finished fifth, less than three lengths behind Semillion.
Three weeks later the then erratic gelding ran to the outside fence with William Pike before defeating Zougotcha in the Schweppes Hcp. As excited as he was Danny Wiliams could see the son of Brothers At War was going to take plenty of time. He had no idea how much time. There was one freakish mishap in the spa which left the horse with a nasty gash to the near hind leg, and an unusual condition in the off hind foot requiring a long spell. Add to that a frustrating lack of racing sense and you’ve got a horse who sorely tested the patience of his experienced trainer. “I thought it would never end,” said Dan. “He had so much natural ability, but we couldn’t get him up and going.”
Here's Bandi's Boy as a green 2yo. He ran to the outside fence in the Schweppes Hcp but still managed to beat classy filly Zougotcha by a clear length - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Danny was more relieved than anything else when the slow learning gelding finally got to the barrier for the Country Championship Qualifier at Moruya on March 3rd. He was more relieved when Bandi’s Boy stormed home to win the important race, with stablemate Atmospheric Rock also qualifying for the final by finishing second. With the $1 million final still five weeks away, the trainer opted to give the four year old one week in the paddock before carefully plotting a course to the Randwick feature. A Goulburn trial win on March 24th kept him ticking over, but Dan always intended to give the horse one race start before the big one. When no suitable races jumped off the pages of the Racing NSW calendar, he opted to nominate for the Gr 3 Star Kingdom Stakes. “I started to worry when the nominations were fairly plentiful,” said Dan. “He was going from restricted company to stakes level and I thought he might struggle to get a run. I breathed a sigh of relief when he squeezed into the field.”
Danny had mixed feelings as the gelding lined up in a pretty hot Gr 3. He knew the horse was a touch “soft” and still possessed a few racing quirks. Some vital questions were about to be answered. Bandi’s Boy jumped as well as he ever has and was happy to come back under Jay Ford when the jockey eased to avoid being trapped three wide. The gelding raced midfield outside Libertad and made the hometurn right behind horses like Shinzo and Hawaii Five Oh. He moved beautifully when Ford got him to the extreme outside and was the only horse to come out of the pack in pursuit of leader Malkovich. Bringing to reality the kind of ability he’s always promised, Bandi’s Boy swept to the front at the 100m before drawing clear to win impressively. The patience and expertise of his trainer are best reflected in his record of just ten starts for five wins, three placings and $352,000. This rising five year old has been painstakingly cared for.
It was a big class rise and he wasn't fully wound up, but Bandi's Boy accounted for some talented horses in the Gr. 3 - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
For Danny Williams the win helped ease the pain of a nightmare month of February. With the gelding scheduled to run in a BM78 at Rosehill on February 24th and the Country Championship Qualifier approaching, the trainer didn’t want a single hiccup. The unthinkable happened around the tenth of the month when Bandi’s Boy got his off hind leg over the dividing bar in Dan’s truck. He sustained a fairly substantial cut on the inside of the leg just below hock level. The vets quickly diagnosed a flesh wound which they predicted would heal quickly. The trainer reported the incident to stewards when it was obvious healing was under way and elected to accept for the Rosehill race. Racing NSW vets cleared him to start, and Bandi’s Boy pleased his trainer with a strong third to in form mare Shadows Of Love. It was full steam ahead to the Moruya Qualifier.
Dan tried to ring owner/breeder John Woods for several days before the Rosehill event and had become increasingly concerned when unable to make contact. He was shocked to learn a few days later, that the respected pastoralist had been killed in a freakish accident on his Lachlan Valley property. “We laid a wonderful man to rest just a few days before his horse was to compete in the Moruya Qualifier,” said Dan. “In the same week we had to deal with the sudden death of respected staff member Barry Manning at our Goulburn stables. Barry was only fifty years old and an important member of my team. It was an awful time for me, partner Mandy and the whole team. I didn’t know what to expect when we saddled up Bandi’s Boy and Atmospheric Rock for the very important Moruya race.”
Danny may well have thought he wasn’t yet out of the woods when both horses settled down a long way back in the fourteen horse field. Jay Ford elected to get on his way at the 600m only to find Bandi’s Boy shunted seven or eight deep on the hometurn. Jason Colett on the other hand elected to look for shortcuts on Atmospheric Rock, and on any other day would have been praised for an ingenious ride. Bandi’s Boy however appreciated plenty of space down the middle of the track to get the better of his stablemate in the last few strides. Emotional scenes in the enclosure immediately after the race confirmed the effects of a horror week in the Williams stable.
Bandi's Boy came from well back to dominate the Moruya Qualifier on March 3rd. Stablemate Atmospheric Rock was second - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Bandi’s Boy will claim a small piece of racing history should he greet the judge on April 6th. Victory in the Polytrack Country Championship grand final would make him the first horse to win the decider coming off a stakes win at his or her previous start. Gracie Belle (2020) and Clearly Innocent (2016) both won benchmark races leading into the final. Sizzle Minizzle, Another One, Art Cadeau, Noble Boy, Victorem, Free Standing, and Artlee all made their way to the decider through qualifying heats and wildcards. Bandi’s Boy already boasts some prestigious black type next to his name.
It was a far cry from Royal Ascot but Jay was more than happy with a Gr. 3 win at Rosehill Gardens - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Saturday’s win gave talented jockey Jay Ford his fourth success from seven rides on Bandi’s Boy, and his second Star Kingdom win six years after the first on the Gary Frazer trained Spright. Every time Jay wins a black type race his thoughts must stray fleetingly to the golden era in which he was the regular partner of the legendary Takeover Target. Jay rode the dynamic sprinter in twenty of his twenty one wins for a total of seven Gr 1’s - five at home, one in Singapore and one in Japan. It’s well documented that Nash Rawiller had the mount when the $1250 dispersal sale purchase won the 2009 T.J. Smith Stakes. Jay savoured the opportunity to ride Takeover Target in several races at Royal Ascot. His memories of a win in the Gr 2 King’s Stand Stakes will stay with him forever.
It’s unlikely we’ll see Bandi’s Boy cruising over the lush summer grass at Queen Anne’s historic Royal Ascot but he’ll almost certainly get to participate in a Gr 1 or two somewhere at home over the next couple of years. His likeable trainer Danny Williams has only recently come down from the high created by his old mate Shelby Sixtysix in the Galaxy two years ago. He can’t wait to get back up there again.
A strong combination! Jay and Danny in the afterglow of the Star Kingdom Stakes win - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Jay Ford made it four wins from seven rides on Bandi's Boy in Saturday's Star Kingdom Stakes - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)