Band Of Brothers leads all the way in Ramornie Handicap
Trainer Matt Dunn concluded a career-defining season when his quick sprinter Band Of Brothers displayed remarkable stamina to lead from start to finish in the Listed $200,000 Ramornie Handicap (1200m) at Grafton on Wednesday.
Band Of Brothers made amends for a below-par last-start performance and successfully resisted numerous challengers in the final stretch to achieve a highly popular win.
This triumph marked Dunn's first win in a major race at the Grafton Cup Carnival, solidifying his position as the leading trainer in the NSW Northern Rivers region.
With this Ramornie Handicap victory, Band Of Brothers' tally for the 2025/26 season reached 128 winners, placing Dunn sixth in the national trainers' premiership.
The trainer disclosed that the Ramornie was not initially a primary target for Band Of Brothers.
"To be honest, it (Ramornie) was a bit of an afterthought,'' Dunn told Sky Thoroughbred Central.
"He went to the Glasshouse Handicap second-up and he was a bit disappointing but he was probably on the wrong part of the track.
"Today, he found himself in front, fought on really hard and they had the opportunity to get to him in the straight but he really dug deep.''
Band Of Brothers, which firmed into $5 favouritism, received an excellent front-running ride from jockey Dylan Turner, winning the Ramornie by one-and-a-quarter lengths from Pereille ($9), with Givemethebeatboys ($6) a nose behind in third.
Fire Star, burdened by a wide barrier draw, was never in a favourable position but ran on well to secure fourth place, beaten just over a length and a half.
The win in the Ramornie Handicap was the second stakes victory for the rising five-year-old Band Of Brothers, adding to his earlier success in the Group 3 Vain Stakes during his three-year-old year.
Band Of Brothers' race record now stands at five wins and eight placings from 20 starts, with his prize money nearing $630,000.
The highly capable sprinter is now being considered for a start in the lucrative $2 million The Kosciuszko (1200m) on Everest Day at Royal Randwick on October 17.
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