TRUSTY BANDIT SCORES A BREAKTHOUGH CITY WIN

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Any concerns that the William Kropp trained Trusty Bandit might becoming a one-trick pony was firmly laid to rest when the son of Trusty Lad made it back-to-back wins by taking out a BM 68 Handicap over 2443m at Eagle Farm on October 14.

You can underline Eagle Farm in that previous sentence as that venue and the midweek metropolitan meeting it hosted marked a significant, step-up victory for Trusty Bandit who previous wins had come at Dalby (twice) and at Kilcoy (where he claimed three wins in a row).

Trusty Bandit, in fact, came into this Eagle Farm assignment off the back of a runaway win at Kilcoy … by 8.30 lengths no less. Coming as that did at a country meeting though, Trusty Bandit switch to city racing didn’t inspire any particular confidence in the betting market where he started as the longest-priced runner in the six horse field at $8.

The beauty of the Eagle Farm win was that, given the way the race unfolded, the five-year-old won purely on merit leaving none of his rivals with any excuse for their defeat.

Trusty Bandit raced in a lonely last place first time past the grandstand … a full three lengths behind the second last runner … and, while Trusty Bandit did tag on to the field going down the back straight, he was still racing some five to six lengths off the lead under a patient ride from Daniel Moor.

The first half race had been run at a casual pace and it was only at the 600m mark that the first serious move was made … and that was by the $3.90 second favourite Cigar Man who, after keeping Trusty Bandit company at the rear of the field, chased up quickly, three wide, in the sweep to the home turn, to straighten only a length off the early leader Power Of Success ($7), who was already a spent force, and the Matt Kropp trained Whatjeudoin’, who had been prominent throughout and who was now making a play for the outright lead.

Cigar Man and Whatjeudoin’ matched strides momentarily, before Cigar Man won that battle and surged to the head of affairs, but the war was still to be decided and the second Moor got Trusty Bandit to really start stretching out it became clear that the Kropp trained runner was going to be hard to peg back … even with having to overcome a two length deficit with 250m left to run.

As it turned out, Trusty Bandit was able to sustain a strong finishing effort which carried right up to Cigar Man with 150m left to run, where it turned into a stride for stride battle for another 100m before Moor edged Trusty Bandit clear of his only rival to salute in style by 0.40 lengths.

Trusty Bandit did carry 6kg less than the runner-up, who clearly put in a brave effort, but the win, with Trusty Bandit coming from some way behind and sustaining a long run, was also clearly, a run full of merit … one which has taken the grey’s profile to a new level.

The Matt Kropp trained Wjatjeudoin’ stayed on to claim third place, given the Kropp Racing banner a first and third place finish in the race.
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Four days earlier, on October 10 at the same venue, the Kropp racing colours of blue, white vee and sleeves with blue armbands were carried by two Queensland Cup contenders in the form of Sun Worshipper, (trained by Matt Kropp) and Prince Levi (trained by William Kropp).

Both runners had contested the Toowoomba Cup two weeks earlier, where Prince Levi beat Sun Worshipper home by 1.54 lengths as they finished in seventh and ninth place respectively … and they reversed the finishing order in the Listed Queensland Cup with Sun Worshipper finishing 0.40 lengths in front of Prince Levi … this time in fifth and seventh place.

No cigar, but the fact that both runners finished under three lengths behind the winner in the Queensland cup underlines the honesty of their respective performance.

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