Keyboard Gangster
Buyers Club col
Keyboard Gangster : 2011 bay gelding
Owner :  The Buyers Club
Profile

Pedigree

                                                                      Spectrum
                                        Gamut
                                                                      Greektown
  Keyboard Gangster (IRE)
  2011 bay gelding
                                                                      Old Vic
                                        Vic O'Tully
                                                                      Miss O'Tully

The family

There's can be no doubt that it was the conformation of Keyboard Gangster that attracted us as bidders at the August 2014 Tattersalls (Ireland) National Hunt store sale.
The family does not have a pedigree that would leap out at anyone in the sales catalogue, without any black-type performers in the first 3 generations of the bottom half.
That's not to say there are not winners there though. The Old Vic mare Vic O'Tully was unraced and she has had 7 foals as a broodmare but only our gelding has set foot Under Rules thus far.
However, grand dam Miss O'Tully has produced winning hurdler/point-to-pointer Carroll's O'Tully and winning pointer Perdel.
3rd dam, The Bay O'Tully, has also bred a winner under rules and a winning pointer. 
And in August 2018 Chase Me Charlie, a 3yr old full brother to Keyboard Gangster was sold to Irish Point-to-Point kingpins Monbeg for €11k, and made his Point debut in May 2019.

About the sire

Gamut (bay horse, born 1999) raced in each of 5 seasons from 2 to 6 when trained by Sir Michael Stoute in the early 2000s. He won 6 races, and was ridden by Keiron Fallon in each of those victories.
And he showed himself as a top class racehorse, with all those wins coming at around 12f, including the Group 1 Grand prix de Saint-Cloud as a 5yr old. 

At stud, Gamut was initially marketed as a dual purpose sire while standing at Sunnyhill Stud in Ireland before moving on to Rosshill Farm stud (Co. Galway) in 2014, where his progeny have been almost totally NH focused (Stud fee €3-4k).
Road to Riches is from Gamut's first crop and is a top class chaser (a dual Grade 1 winner), as Gamut has built a reputation as a sire of strong gallopers. From his 3rd crop, Joshua Lane finished 3rd in the 2014 Festival Bumper, and more recently his sons Road to Respect (also a dual Grade 1 winning chaser) and Any Drama have kept the flag flying.    

Kerr on the gallops
Form Summary
If pressed, and quite frankly this is one of those occasions where you wouldn't have to press Donald too hard, we'd admit that our favourite National Hunt Store Sale in the calendar is the Tattersalls (Ireland) August event. Situated just across the road from Fairyhouse racecourse, just on the outskirts of the small town of Ratoath, the sales ring is a short journey from Dublin Airport and not that far from the lovely city of Dublin itself. We find the nearby town of Swords a great place to stay with a selection of good quality hotels and first class restaurants just the job at the end of a day at the sales. Of course for the younger members of our sales team, there is an astonishing mid-week nightlife, but what goes on..... 
 
At the August 2014 Sale, we were delighted to secure this gelding as one of our two Gamut purchases (Paper Roses was the other).
Keyboard Gangster had a full season of training in 2014-15, finishing off with a racecourse gallop at Kelso in May '15 before the then 4-yr-old was turned away to mature. That gallop confirmed our initial thoughts that he was a wee bit special, travelling throughout hard on the bit.  (Paper Roses and Baby Ticker were two of the others in that gallop).
However, Keyboard Gangster was involved in collision with a car in October '15 and required a few months of rest, so it was Spring of 2016 before he returned to training. He made his debut run (as a 5 yr old) at Perth in June that year, showing up well for a long way before racing as if something was amiss, and was again turned out to grass to strengthen.
The gelding had an interrupted campaign in 2016-17 with various minor issues and made a belated reappearance in a bumper at Ayr in April '17, where he put in a good performance in 6th albeit hanging abruptly left when challenging just over 2f out.
He's a gentle giant at home, but his wayward tendencies on the racecourse did surface a couple of times again in season 2017-18. However, there was no doubting the high class shown in his two hurdle victories in that season. Firstly in a novice hurdle at Ayr, then a couple of runs later winning a £40k added Class 2 handicap at Kelso off a mark of OR130.
Onto 2018-19. After a fine opening run at Haydock - unplaced, but form of a level of previous season's best - he didn't appear to stay 2½ miles next time and had an interrupted preparation for his final race of the season at Newcastle in April. That's racing........

A workmanlike gelding, Keyboard Gangster looks the type to improve when sent chasing, very much on the agenda this season.
Season win 2nd 3rd 4th other
2016-17 NH Flat 2
2017-18 hurdles 2 1 1
2018-19 hurdles       1 2
2019-20 hurdles         3
Current Season Form
14 March 20 Newcastle : 2m handicap hurdle (Class 3 0-130) OR 121 soft (heavy places) 7 ran (C Whillans) -  fell                                racevideo
Held up, good headway to join leaders appr 3 out, not much room and switched left when fell 2 out
This was looking like Keyboard Gangster's best run for some time until he fell 2 out. Probably not going to win but he was in the process of challenging for a minor berth when he came to grief.

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2 March 20 Wetherby : 2m handicap hurdle (Class 3 0-135) OR 124 heavy 9 ran ((C Whillans (3)) - 6th (beaten 31½l)                                  race video
Tracked leaders, outpaced 4 out, soon ridden and lost place, some late progress from 2 out
This was just Keyboard Gangster's second run in nearly a year, and he seemed to struggle when the pace quickened after 4 out. He got his second wind in the straight though and kept on again. May take a couple of runs to regain full sharpness.
2 November 19 Ayr : 2m handicap hurdle (Class 2 0-145) OR 127 soft 7 ran ((C Whillans (3)) - 6th (beaten 43l)                                            race video
Tracked leaders, effort and mistake 4 out, soon lost place
Keyboard Gangster was jumping nicely until a mistake 4 from home stopped him in his tracks. In all honesty, it was probably his fitness level in comparison to the other runners which put him under pressure and Callum nursed him home once his chance was gone.

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Previous Season Form
6 April 19 Newcastle : 2m ½f  handicap hurdle (Class 3 0-140) OR 132 good to soft 7 ran (C Whillans (3)) -  4th (beaten 5¼l)                  racevideo
Keen, held up, effort and ridden 2 out, stayed on one pace
Keyboard Gangster ran much more encouragingly than his previous run at Uttoxeter 10 weeks ago. Jumping well, and travelling keenly the extended layoff told approaching the last, and he couldn't quite reach the front 3.

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26 January 19 Uttoxeter : 2m 4f handicap hurdle (Class 2) OR 133 soft 12 ran (C Whillans (3)) -  6th (beaten 33l)                  racevideo
Held up in rear off pace, steady headway from halfway, in touch with leaders 3 out, weakened from 2 out
Keyboard Gangster was stepped up to 2m 4f for the first time here and on the face of it didn't appear to stay the extra distance. Callum said he ran a bit flat all the same and this leaves plenty to find to replicate last season's fine form.

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22 December 18 Haydock : 2m handicap hurdle (Class 3 0-135) OR 136 heavy 9 ran (C Whillans (3)) -  7th (beaten 12l)                  racevideo
Pulled hard, held up in mid div, challenged approaching last, soon ridden and weakened run-in
Keyboard Gangster ran a fine race all things considered on his seasonal debut. There was quite a modest pace set for this grade of handicap and our gelding pulled Callum's arms out of their sockets. Not surprisingly, 'Kerr' didn't find much after the last but will come on for this race.

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7 April 18 Kelso : 2m handicap hurdle (Class 2) OR130 heavy 11 ran (C Whillans (3)) -  won (by ¾l)                              racevideo
Took keen hold and held up in rear, smooth progress appr 2 out, disputed lead till led after last, hard driven and held on well
Equipped with hood added to the tongue tie, Keyboard Gangster still pulled hard in rear, but still had plenty in the locker to make good headway to challenge 2 out, and respond to driving after the last. Fantastic performance, and a red letter day for Dodlands Steading.

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21 March 18 Haydock : 2m novices hurdle (Class 3) soft (good to soft places) 4 ran (C Whillans (3)) -  third (beaten 10¼l)                              racevideo
Took keen hold, soon led, swerved violently right after 3rd, almost at standstill but kept on, joined leading pair 3 out, no extra appr 2 out
Keyboard Gangster cocked his jaw when spotting the racecourse stables after passing the winning post first time. Callum set off in pursuit of the remaining pair 50 lengths adrift. This effort told 2 out, and he had no extra left to challenge for a win.

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26 February 18 Ayr : 2m novices hurdle (Class 4) heavy 9 ran (C Whillans (3)) -  won (by 3½l)                                                                  racevideo
Keen, tracked leader, good headway to lead after omitted 4 out,  hung right bend out of back straight, soon clear travelling well, eased near line
What a performance! Keyboard Gangster, jumping very well was always travelling smoothly - perhaps too much so - but as the pace slackened 5 out, Callum seized the opportunity to make a decisive move and that was the last the field saw. Bialco (OR 127) was second (better over further).

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31 January 18 Ayr : 2m novices hurdle (Class 5) heavy 7 ran (C Whillans (3)) -  4th (beaten 19l) 
Keen, held up in rear, good headway to track leaders after 4 out but never able to challenge from 2 out
A promising hurdling debut from Keyboard Gangster, jumping quite nicely in the deep, testing ground. He was too keen really for the conditions, but kept on to his task from 2 out although never troubled the leading trio.

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