Big grey gelding goes bang for the late 'Spud'

By Jordan Gerrans

The late Danny Frawley would have let out an almighty ‘bang’ with a fist pump if he was watching the last race from Toowoomba on Saturday evening.

A big grey galloper named Danny’s Boy grabbed the first victory of his career under lights at Clifford Park under the riding of Georgina Cartwright.

Danny’s Boy was bred by Danny’s widow Anita Frawley and named after the popular former AFL footballer who was nicknamed ‘Spud’.

Tragically, the horse was foaled around the same time the St Kilda champion and popular media identity passed away in September of 2019.

After breeding the horse, Anita stayed in the ownership of the gelding when he started his career in Victoria with trainer Matt Cumani.

Anita’s daughters Danielle, Chelsea and Keeley and her sister Kelly Amoore also were in the initial connections alongside other friends and family.

After four career starts and few injury and attitude troubles, the decision was made to retire the grey.

Little-known trainer Sharon Croxford spent time working for the Cumani barn in Victoria and eventually brought the horse north to the Sunshine State.

Croxford had presented Danny’s Boy to the races on six occasions before he broke through on Saturday night, scoring in the Maiden Handicap over 1625 metres by a short margin.

“It is a huge achievement for him to come back from where he was and be consistent and finally have some luck and win a race,” Croxford said.

“It is sad but there is that sentimental value to it. Once he got up here, he is really enjoying the routine and the racing now, he has been really great.

“He is enjoying life. I always thought there was a bit of potential about him in those early days but he has obviously had all those issues, so it was about him getting some time and getting it all together.”

Danny and Anita worked closely with Amoore in the late footballer’s final years after they purchased and developed Sylvan Lodge Equine Centre in Miners Rest.

It was the base formerly used by the late trainer Barry James, who was Amoore and Anita's father.

Anita and Amoore have used the facility to operate a pre-training, rehabilitation and agistment business for thoroughbred racehorses. 

Amoore eventually took out her own licence and raced a galloper that was a relation of Danny’s Boy in Sylvan Sisterhood.

With horses such as Danny’s Boy and Sylvan Sisterhood, among others, the trio planned to become more involved in racing gallopers before ‘Spud’s’ passing.

The charismatic Spud was known for yelling ‘bang’ on television to highlight defenders spoiling the ball in his ‘Golden Fist’ segment.

A rugged backman in his heyday, Spud always wanted to celebrate the defenders in the sport as they did not receive as much shine as midfielders and forwards.  

Croxford is hardly a household name in the training ranks in Victoria and in the Sunshine State.

Before Saturday evening’s result, she last prepared a winner in the 2011-12 campaign and has five career triumphs to her name dating back to 2006.

It was just a sliding doors moment that led Danny’s Boy – described as a big striding stayer-in-the-making – to Croxford’s stable and reignite her training tenure.

“I actually did some work for Anita early on when I went to Ballarat – I met her and her sister and knew them quite well,” the Toowoomba-based trainer says.

“Danny the horse was actually there in the stable as it turned out, so I knew of the horse when I worked for Matt Cumani for a while.

“I picked him up and took him over the first few mornings when he first came in.

“I had a bit to do with the horse – as I did treatments on the horses – as he was a cantankerous horse and maybe not everyone’s favourite (laughs).”

Danny’s Boy did not race between November of last year and September of 2024.

For the big grey to even get back to the track was a miraculous achievement - let alone win a race. 

Croxford can pick up the tale.

“They eventually retired him and not long after he ended up in hospital and had to have some surgery on a foot issue he had,” she said.

“It was touch and go there for a while for the horse, the vet said it could go either way. He obviously got through it and got home.

“The ownership group at the time decided they wanted to find a good home for him and because he wasn’t just a stock, standard horse for anyone to take – they eventually came to me through the vet.

“I was keen to race him if the original ownership group approved it and if he recovered well enough, which they were quite happy to do seeing as I had dealings with them over time.”

Danny’s Boy headed north to the Sunshine State and after a lengthy rehabilitation process, he was back at the races at Warwick in late September.

Now a five-year-old, he was slowly building to a powerful performance and once he got out past a mile, ‘Danny’ produced his best under lights on Saturday.

Like the horse was for the Frawley clan, Danny’s Boy has become a ‘family affair’ for Croxford.

Croxford’s son Joel Mills is hands-on at her stable while her other son looks after his feet as a farrier.

“It became a bit of a project for me and my son, who has become really attached to the horse,” she said.

“My son loves the horse to death.”

Danny’s Boy will go searching for his second career victory at Ipswich in the middle of next month in a Class 1 Handicap over 1680 metres.

After relocating back to Queensland, Croxford has a handful in work at Toowoomba and has hopes that Our Anaconda and Princess Hotspur will follow Danny’s Boy into the winner’s enclosure in the near future.