Richard J Bandey

The partnership with jockey Harry Bannister is the engine room of the yard's success. Across 64 rides together they have combined for 11 wins — that is 17%, or almost 1 in every 6 — which is a noticeably better return than the trainer's overall average. When Bannister is in the saddle, something clicks. That kind of consistent overperformance with a single jockey usually points to genuine communication and trust between a trainer and rider, the sort of relationship that takes time to build and tends to keep improving.

If there is one track that feels like home for Bandey, it is Plumpton. Five winners from just 11 runners there is a remarkable hit rate — nearly 1 in every 2 — at a course that winds tightly through the East Sussex countryside and rewards horses who know it well. Trainers who crack a specific track tend to target it intelligently, sending the right horses at the right moments, and those five wins suggest Bandey has already figured out what Plumpton asks of a horse.

The standout individual in his string is Rap Soul, who has won 3 of their 7 races together. Three wins from seven might not sound like a superstar record, but for a small yard still finding its feet at the top level, having a horse that wins nearly half its races is genuinely valuable — both for prize money and for the yard's reputation. Rap Soul is the kind of horse that keeps owners happy and attracts new ones.

Fifty-eight winners in four years, a rising win rate, a trusted jockey, and a course he clearly knows how to exploit. Bandey is not yet a household name, but the foundations are there, and the direction of travel is firmly upward.