The Kelly Purdy-trained gelding Bandipur has not had much luck go his way of late and for a long while in Saturday’s Listed Eye Liner Stakes (1200m) at Ipswich it looked as if nothing had changed.
Supporters would have had their eyes closed as Jag Guthmann-Chester scraped the paint along the rail on the 5yo.
Miraculously, the son of Commands was gifted an uninterrupted passage from near last to hold the fast-finishing Spirit Of Boom gelding Boomsara by half a length with the veteran Al Maher gelding Monsieur Gustave a short-head back in third.
It was the second stakes win for the former Godolphin resident after his victory in the Listed Lightning Stakes at Morphettville as a 2yo almost three years ago to the day.
Purchased by Mishani Enterprises for $260,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions National Racehorse Sale, Bandipur advances his overall record to 10 wins, 5 seconds and 2 thirds from 33 starts with earnings of $722,805
Purdy admitted it was a very hard watch.
"At the six hundred I was just saying please open up we looked in all sorts of trouble, it's been that sort of carnival for him a lot of hard luck stories and I thought it was going to happen again," Purdy said.
"When the barriers came out I was pretty disappointed with the ten (barrier) and just said to Jag ride for luck and hope for the best and he couldn't have done it any better.
"His form doesn't look great on paper, but it doesn't reflect how he's been going. He has just been plagued by bad gates and other things I always knew he could win a race like this if the stars aligned.
"It makes it easy to get up in the morning when you've got a horse like this, now we've knocked off a stakes race he'll go for a break and we might look for a wild card into the Magic Millions."
Bandipur is the first foal of the 3-time winning Viscount mare Pattamada who was culled by Darley in 2016 when she was sold at the Magic Millions National Broodmare to Monovale Holdings for $21,000 when carrying a filly by Commands’ Group I winning son Epaulette.
Pattamada is a sister to Group I Queen Of The Turf Stakes winner Neroli out of the 4-time Sydney winner Dalquarren a half-sister to the stakes-placed Hut the dam of Group I TJ Smith Classic winner Benfica (Lonhro).
Now at stud in New Zealand, Pattamada has a 2yo filly by Proisir and a yearling filly by Puccini.
After missing to Sacred Falls in 2018, Pattamada was covered by Savabeel last spring.
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