Griffiths Racing mourns Moonee Valley legend Dandy Kid
The Robbie Griffiths stable is lamenting the loss of a stable favourite that became an integral part of history at The Valley.
Griffiths Racing confirmed the passing of the former smart sprinter Dandy Kid, who won a record 15 races at The Valley in a terrific career that included 19 wins from 87 starts between 1999 and 2006.
'He was an amazing horse to everyone,' Griffiths said.
'To race for eight years, everything changed so much and there were weddings, kids and grandkids among the ownership group while he was racing.'
Dandy Kid died just short of his 29th birthday in a year in which racing will cease under the current configuration at The Valley as the track undergoes redevelopment.
• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Griffiths said he and the late form expert Deane Lester picked out Dandy Kid from a paddock at Berrigan but the stable favourite spent most of his life in Cranbourne and spelling at Cloverdale agistment property that was operated by the late sports broadcaster Drew Morphett and his wife Kaz.
'He retired to that property and lived there for the last 19 years of his life,' Griffiths said.
'He was beautiful and sound all the time he was enjoying retirement. He never needed the vets, just the stock-standard maintenance a horse needs.
'He started his career as a winner of his first four and he finished as a winner as a 10-year-old.
'They can't beat his record at Moonee Valley now as the track is changing.
'I'm glad he chose Moonee Valley to be great at, not Manangatang.'
• O'Brien star shakes up Melbourne Cup market after Curragh romp
Dandy Kid was also good enough to win the Listed Vain Stakes during his run of four straight wins to start his career.
He also claimed the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield in 2000, beating that year's Newmarket Handicap winner Miss Pennymoney.
Seven riders won on Dandy Kid with the now Queensland-based jockey Ryan Maloney topping the tally with five wins on the grand sprinter while Rikki Cartwright was aboard for the gelding's first four wins.
Griffiths said Dandy Kid was a handful on the training track but a great horse for apprentices to ride early in their careers, noting several Group 1-winning jockeys, including Luke Currie and Craig Newitt, won on the speedster as apprentices.
'He was a prick to ride at trackwork,' Griffiths said.
'I'd ride him in all his gallops and he'd pull like crazy. But he was a gentleman on raceday.
'Not many senior riders rode him but some superstar jockeys won on him as apprentices.'
Originally published as Moonee Valley win record holder Dandy Kid dies aged 28
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

ABC News
22 minutes ago
- ABC News
NRL live updates: Sydney Roosters host Melbourne Storm to kick off Round 21
Round 21 of the NRL season gets underway on Thursday night with the Sydney Roosters hosting the Melbourne Storm. The Roosters will be desperate for a win to keep them in the finals mix while their opponents are looking to rebound following last week's shock loss to Manly. Follow the live blog below, keep up to date with all the latest stats in our ScoreCentre, and tune in to our live radio coverage.

The Australian
29 minutes ago
- The Australian
AFL: Suns seeking QClash redemption after heavy loss to Crows
Sick of hearing 'how crap' they are, the Gold Coast Suns have the perfect chance to 'change the narrative' by beating premiers Brisbane in Saturday's QClash. While the Suns have won 11 of their 17 matches to remain on track to play finals football for the first time in the club's history, an embarrassing 61-point loss to Adelaide last Sunday has raised doubts about their ability to finish the season in the top eight. Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick believes the ideal way to respond is with a win over the second-placed Lions this weekend at People First Stadium. Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick wants the Suns to lift against Brisbane. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images 'We're still in the race for something that we have never achieved, so we're really looking forward to that challenge,' Hardwick said on Thursday. 'As a coaching group and as a playing group, we've got a big step this week. We've got to take care of this step, then we'll sit there and take the next one this week. 'There's no greater test than the mob we're playing this week. The way they play the game is a great style of footy – combative, high pressure, high contest. 'What's really improved over the last six weeks is their handball game. Those Ashcroft boys (Will and Levi), (Jaspa) Fletcher and all those sorts of players have certainly helped with that, Lachie Neale's always been a star at it. The challenge is firmly set for our midfielders to respond. 'We get to test how far we've come in six days. The great thing about the very best sides is you know exactly how they play. 'Stopping them is the next part of the equation and we're looking forward to that challenge.' Despite having only taken charge of the Suns last year, Hardwick is well aware of how the Gold Coast has been portrayed since joining the AFL competition in 2011. Suns star Matt Rowell (front) is tackled by Brisbane co-captain Lachie Neale during the Lions' QClash win in May. Picture:'Everyone, for a long period of time, has told us how crap we are, (that) we're no good, (that we) don't deserve to be here,' the former Richmond three-time premiership-winning coach said. 'You know what? We're about changing that narrative. It's not the same old Suns, it's the brand new Suns.' Hardwick said the top-eight was now 'probably 90 per cent a race in nine', with the ninth-placed Western Bulldogs trailing the Suns – who have played one game less – by four points. 'We've got a game in hand which is the challenging thing with the ladder and the swings and roundabouts that we have … (but) we've just got to keep ticking off as many wins as we can to make sure that we aim for that first finals campaign,' he said. Hardwick also addressed speculation that Carlton forward Charlie Curnow wanted to join the Suns next season, 'We can understand that people hopefully want to come here and want to join in on this journey. We're looking to bring the very best players to our footy club,' he said. Marco Monteverde Sports reporter Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world. @marcothejourno Marco Monteverde

News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
‘Looks nothing like me': NRLW star slams new rugby league game
Two-code great Millie Elliott has joined the chorus of disdain over the look of the new Rugby League 26 video game. Last week's release of the latest rugby league video game descended into farce, with users taking to social media to complain about glitches, comical bugs and frozen loading screens. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. The production company behind the game was desperately scrambling for solutions after the highly anticipated release fell apart. With limited resources and budgets for such a small market of gaming fans, expectations are always low when it comes to local football games — but even the most pessimistic of fans would have been disappointed when the game dropped. That has now included Elliott, a stalwart of the NRLW competition who has represented both the Jillaroos and Wallaroos in her footy career. Born Millie Boyle, Elliott married Newcastle Knights veteran Adam Elliott in 2023 and both appear in the new game. After getting a look at her character in the game, it's fair to say the 27-year-old was not impressed with her likeness or her rating. '(Adam) sent me the photo of my character and I will say it looks absolutely nothing like me. It looks nothing like me,' she said on Triple M. 'Adam's looks like his own doppelganger. It looks exactly like him. 'And also, apparently I've been rated out of 100 (at) 53. I don't know if that's good?' When she was told she 'should be worried' about the rating, Elliott said: 'So that's not very good apparently. That's an insult? Right, OK. 'So firstly it looks nothing like me and secondly, I'm the sh**test footy player on there. 'You'd think with AI and all this technology these days, that they could get it looking a little similar.' Eels lock Kennedy Cherrington is another player that has vented her concerns with the new platform. The 26-year-old was keen to get stuck into the game last weekend until she saw herself in the game and the general gameplay. 'This might seem petty, but as a player that features in the new RL26 game, I'm not happy,' she tweeted with a series of cry-laughing emojis. 'Maybe we should just be grateful that we're in the game but overall I know the fans aren't happy too. From the facial scans to the player ratings & even the gameplay nahhh.' Cherrington then added: 'I was so keen to get sweaty on the game this weekend! But it's put me off. That update better be incoming soon haha.' While plenty of fans publicly praised the game's in-match experience, countless others took to social media to share clips of hilarious glitches. Among the angry reactions across cyberspace, some fans reached out directly to the Big Ant Studios Studios developer responsible for executing the new game. Big Ant Studios released a statement on social media last week, apologising to those that had purchased the new game. 'We know today has not gone as smoothly as it should have and we will compensate all #RugbyLeague26 purchasers with some free #ProTeam credit,' the Studio posted. 'Details to follow. There has been overwhelming demand that also may have caused service issues, and for that we cannot apologise enough.' A number of footy fans reacted to Elliott and Cherrington's comments on X. One wrote: 'The NRL need to stop being cheap. They made over 50 million in profit last year.' Another said: 'If you don't have a big budget, these are the results to expect …' X user Mark Jordan wrote: 'Time for the @RLPlayers to step in?' A fourth wrote: 'I'm not at all surprised sadly. Every promotion for the game was just screaming poor quality. It looks like it belongs on the PS3!'